#( we aren't rushing through it so no spoilers )

[writtenxbeginnings]

Hello all! I hope it's been a good day for yall. I'll be around later to work on my drafts (and focus on them!), but feel free to give me more to do - asks, memes, starters or opens, whatever!

[mkkk12345]

Mishaps in the potionology classroom

Malleus x reader

A late-night tutoring session turned into a night of frantically looking through textbooks and babysitting a baby dragon. 

We all know what started this, I would die for this little guy he’s precious, no spoiler warning cos I’m not on JP server lol. 

2K words

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What were you going to tell Lillia? How well will Silver take this? How is Sebek going to kill you? These were the questions that floated through your mind as you held a baby dragon prince in your arms. What were you going to do now… after an incident like this you were surely going to be on some fae hit list. 

It was an accident you swear, but that didn’t matter now did it, how impromptu tutoring session come to this? 

It all started when you asked Malleus for some assistance with your potionology class homework, you wouldn't normally ask someone like him who probably had something better to do than tutor you but it was late at night and you were desperate. You had spotted him out the window of your room in Ramshackle when the idea popped into your head. Ask him a few questions out the window and it would be over, right? 

Wrong. 

“Tsunotaro do you have a minute to spare?” you asked him as he turned his head up in surprise

As always he answered with a smile “Why yes of course I do, I always have time for you my dearest perfect.” relief flooded your features and you started to explain your situation.

“There are a few questions on this potionology homework that aren't clicking, I dont think it will take too long but would you like to come inside it's colder than I thought out there.” How could you resist, it was only the proper thing to do no? He is a prince after all, and it was indeed unusually cold out tonight it couldn't hurt to invite him into your dorm. 

You quickly rush to the door to let him in, guiding him to your room where Grimm was, as expected still sound asleep on your bed belly up snoring. “Please excuse him, you know how he is.” you sigh as he chuckled,

“Please don’t worry, now what did you need help with my dear” Your heart skipped a beat almost dropping the extra chair you were bringing over to your desk. 

Sitting down and clearing your throat you begin your impromptu tutoring session with Malleus “W-we’ll there's this part here-” 

With Malleus’s help, you quickly progressed to the last question but as you read it your eyes grew wide, how could you overlook this? “Using the recipe provided on page 324 of the textbook please recreate the potion you have been studying. Oh god, how did I miss Professor Crewel telling us about that in class?” you bury your face in your hands in defeat. 

Unbeknownst to you a smile grew on Malleuses face “Worry not child of man, shall we go to the potionology classroom? I’m sure even the spirits that roam the halls of the school would not dare to stop you if I came along.” 

“Is that really ok? I mean it's midnight we aren't even supposed to be out of our dorms at this time of the night.” lifting your head you looked at him with worry in your eyes. 

“You may place your trust in me, I shall take the fall if anything were to happen.” You sigh giving into desperation for a second time tonight. 

And that's how you were now stuck in the potionology classroom with a baby dragon frantically calling Grimm for help. Was it the best thing to do at the moment? No. But what else could you do? Calling a professor was out of the question, you could be expelled for something like this. Calling one of the other first years was also out of the question, you didn't want to drag them into this either.  So you went to your last resort, Grimm. 

“Y/N where are you do you know what time it is?” Grimm sleepy shouted into the phone. 

“Grimm I’m sorry for waking you up but I’m in a sticky situation right now, I’ll explain everything later but right now I need you to come down to the potionology classroom it's urgent-” Just then little dragon Malleus decided he was bored and wanted out of your arms, “Hey Tsunotaro stay still-” it was then that the little guy swung his tail up knocking the phone out of your hands and onto the floor, effectively ending the call. 

“Well at least that might get him to come over here quicker,” you sighed as you tried to wrangle Malleus to stay in your arms. “What are we going to do with you little Tsunotaro, I can only assume that what we made and accidentally splashed onto you was an age-reversal potion of some kind.” you held him out hands under his arms like someone would hold a long cat. 

A few minutes later Grimm slams the door open “Y/N, are you ok!” Grimm shouted out of breath from the long run over to the potionology classroom. 

“Yeah sorry to worry you Grimm, Tsunotaro made me drop the phone,” you said as you turned towards Grimm, bringing the little dragon closer to your body. 

With a confused expression, he cocked his head to the side and pointed at the little guy in your arms, “Is that?” 

“Yeah” Filling Grimm in on the situation you sat down on the floor and subconsciously began to play with Malleus’s little feet, petting him as if he were a cat. In your defense, he was cat-shaped and sized and he seemed to begin to relax in your lap as well. 

“So what do we do now?” Grimm asked now coming closer to the little dragon in your lap to get a closer look. 

“Well if you could pass me that textbook and help me look for a solution to this before anyone finds out that would be great.” You looked at him with a tired smile. 

A few minutes had passed and Grimm walked over to you and pulled at your sleeve too afraid of what would happen if the sleeping dragon in your lap woke up. He looked up at you and back down to the textbook in his hand pointing at a particular sentence in the page. You quietly read it aloud “There is no way to reverse the effects of the potion, the amount of time the potion is in effect is determined by the amount of potion the individual comes in contact with.” you sighed in relief,  from what you could tell only a few drops had landed on him. “Judging by the table here he should be back to normal in a few hours,” you finally allowed yourself to release the breath you were holding. Now looking back down at little baby Malleus in your lap you could finally take in how absolutely adorable he was, his tiny wings, those eyes that were slightly disproportionate to the rest of his head, the way he squished his little head into your stomach. Looking back up at Grimm you smiled “Ok let’s clean up the evidence and go back to Ramshackle to get some rest, we might have a little explaining to do tomorrow.”

Somehow you and Grimm had managed to get back to ramshackle without incident and without waking the sleeping dragon in your arms. Upon entering the dorm Grimm spoke up “So where are ya gonna put baby Tsunotaro for tonight? Because I am not giving up my spot in bed.” Grimm stood defiantly in front of your shared bed. 

“Grimm please dont be stubborn, it's just for one night, plus he is the future ruler of the Briar Valley, who knows what hitlist the fae will put us on if he gets mad” You stare at Grimm with a fearful expression (fake of course but Grimm doesn't have to know that). And with that, the three of you were off to bed. Although things might have turned out in Grimm's favor because for the rest of that night every time you weren't holding little Malleus in your arms, he would whine and make a fuss until you would take him back into your arms against your warm body for cuddles. 

As per usual the next morning you awoke to your alarm clock blaring from the bedside table. As you groaned you attempted to move to turn the wretched thing off but instead, you were met with the realization someone was holding you, preventing you from moving. “Allow me a few more minutes of bliss please dear.” a husky low voice borderline growled into your ear as one of his arms reached over you to shut off the alarm clock. 

“Malleus?!” this is not what you were expecting to wake up to this morning. You thought you would wake up with a tiny little dragon in your arms if your calculations were correct, maybe the potion didn't work as well on fae? You thought as you stared up at his handsome face who stared back at you. 

“Yes, my dear prefect? Is something the matter?” he looked at you inquisitively, surely he didn't think this was normal right? To wake up and just be cuddling with someone?

“Ah well um I just thought I would be waking up to a little dragon this morning.” you laughed awkwardly as you tried to relax in his hold. 

“Worry not, a potion as weak as that would not have such an effect on me. Oh or are you perhaps disappointed at the fact you no longer get to see me as an infant? Lilla has told me I was quite cute back then.” he chuckles as your red face burying yourself in the sheets. 

“He isn't wrong, you were very adorable,” you spoke softly from under the sheets.

Malleus then suddenly pulled your body closer to his, ”Am I no longer cute now dear? Oh how you wound me” he spoke as he tucked his face into the crook of your neck. 

If you thought you were red before, now you were probably even redder than Riddle's hair “Well I… I think your quite handsome now…” you whispered as your hand moved to stroke his hair. “Not that you weren't handsome before this or anything! I just-” 

“Will you two get a room or something?! Can't a cat get some extra sleep before class without lovey-dovey fools realizing feelings so loud?!” Grimm shouted as he got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom “Geez, not even one day of peace in this damn dorm.” he grumbled under his breath before slamming the door shut. 

And with that, the two of you burst into a fit of laughter enjoying one another warmth under the covers for a little while longer before getting ready for school yourselves. 

“Hey isn't your dorm going to go into a panic looking for you this morning?” You asked Malleus from the bathroom as you got dressed. 

He responded with a chuckle “Worry not, Lillia came to find me earlier this morning. The only one I would worry about is Sebek.” he spoke with a smirk on his face. 

Back in Diasomnia

“WAKA SAMAAAAAAAA HAS ANYONE SEEN WAKA SAMA,” a certain green hair crocodile was currently screaming his head off as if someone had died. 

The usually sleepy silver-haired boy crossed his arms and shook his head at the sight, “It’s going to be a long morning.” 

All the while the pink-haired ​​vice house warden was laughing his head off at the sight of the chaos occurring. 

[justanotherfluffreader]

what happens at the sleepover, may not stay at the sleepover

-- in which you let your new friends in on a secret... and xiangli yao hears something he wasn't meant to --

characters -> xiangli yao x gn!reader (ft. chixia, yangyang, baizhi) <-

content -> fluff, lowkey pining <-

warnings -> may be ooc (i only read main questline + moonchasing festival), minor spoilers for moonchasing festival quests, cursing (1 time) <-

wc -> 0.9k <-

a/n -> a random writing i wanted to do to celebrate the moonchasing festival + release of my favorite robot guy :) | reader is a rover insert <-

4:13 AM / Baizhi's apartment / Jinzhou, Huanglong

"Soooooo..." your red-haired friend started, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. You, Yangyang, Chixia, and Baizhi were sprawled out on the floor of Baizhi's bedroom. After hours of laughing, chatting, and typical sleepover activities, the four of you were almost ready to sleep. The sun was going to be up in just over an hour, but a certain Patroller was still full of energy. "Any of you.. ya'know, interested in anyone lately?"

As she said this, you felt a suspiciously sharp gaze coming from across the room. You picked your head up from your pillow, just in time to see Baizhi's eyes shift to stare at the ceiling.

"Hey, what was that about?" you asked, half-joking, but half-serious. "Have something you want to share with the group?"

She shivered. "Please, don't ever say that again. You sounded just like my old professor at the Academy just now."

The four of you laughed, but there was just one thought going through your mind. "Does she know...?"

"Oh, come on! I'm sure at least one of you has your eye on somebody... Yangyang?"

"Um... nobody in particular." Despite having "nobody in mind", her face flushed and a light pink began to appear on her cheeks. Nevertheless, Yangyang had always been somewhat secretive when it came to romance, so you decided to just let her be.

"Baizhi? C'mon, we all saw that look you gave Y/N."

Her long, black hair seemed to ripple as she fervently shook her head. "Don't tell me you're serious. I spend most of my time at the Academy, and falling for a co-worker is just asking for trouble. Besides, there aren't any good options there anyways."

You could feel your eye twitch slightly at her last words. "No good options? Are you sure?"

"Seems like our dear Y/N begs to differ. Go on, surely there must be someone you've got your eye on?" Chixia egged you on.

You sighed. "Fine... if you insist. Have you met Xiangli Yao?"

"WHAT???" the others looked at you in shock, almost screaming.

You looked absolutely mortified. "Keep it down! You're going to wake people up!"

"...He's good, right?"

"You mean the Principal Investigator? How do you know him?" Yangyang wondered aloud.

"Ohh, I get it. Wasn't he that guy you kept talking to at the festival?" Chixia reasoned.

"Yeah... we did meet at the festival. We've been talking for the past few days, and he's been so sweet and caring. He's gentle, and smart, and his voice is so soothing, not to mention his looks..."

You went on and on, and the other three exchanged a knowing glance.

"Oh Y/N... you're so in love with him."

Realizing how much you had been talking, you could feel heat rushing to your cheeks.

"Fuck." You put your head in your hands. "I really do love him."

4:25 AM / Xiangli Yao's apartment / Jinzhou, Huanglong

Finally, it was time for Xiangli Yao to go to sleep. Working on a new research paper, he had been working almost entirely through the night, and by the time he realized the time it was too late to take more than a long nap.

He yawned, shuffling over to the other side of his bedroom to turn off the lights. Sliding into bed, he closed his eyes and prepared to rest. All of a sudden, he heard a shriek from the room below him.

"WHAT???"

...Hm. One of those voices sounded familiar, and that was when it hit him. The room above him belonged to Baizhi, a fellow researcher at the Academy. More importantly to him, though, was that she was one of your close friends since your arrival in Jinzhou. Worried, he sat up, debating whether or not to go check up on her.

"These walls are definitely thin... likely not a sign of danger, Jinzhou is rather safe, perhaps just shock? But at what?"

He would have just gone right back to sleep, had he not heard your voice.

"Keep it down! You're going to wake people up!"

Oh, your voice. He loved the way you spoke, from sweet, rich tone of your voice to the way you pronounced every syllable. Even then, your panicked voice sounded the way honey tastes.

He was intrigued. As much as he scolded himself for being too nosy, he desperately wanted-- no, needed-- to know what sounded like a secret of yours.

Gently pressing his ear to the floor, he tried to listen for a hint as to what you were discussing in the room below.

"...the Principal Investigator?"

That was the moment he realized that you were talking about him. The researcher pushed his head closer into the floor. He reasoned that if you were talking about him, secretly, then perhaps...

Perhaps he really would have a chance.

All throughout the Moon-chasing Festival, you had been by his side, helping him uncover the meaning of people's wishes, including his own. Maybe it was the time you had spent together, or the fact that you now knew so much about him and his life, but he couldn't help but be attracted to you.

He listened closely, pink spreading across his face and heart racing as he heard you ramble about everything about him. By the end of it, Xiangli Yao was lying on the floor with a huge grin on his face.

"Oh, Y/N... if only you knew. I'm in love with you, too."

Part 2? lmk

as always thanks for reading <3

[daytaker]

Solomon simps so hard for the main character it's actually a little tragic.

Nightbringer spoilers ahead.

Solomon: MC! Don't worry! I'm on my way to you, journeying through time and space to help bring you home! MC: Oh, hey Sol. Look at my boys, aren't they adorable? They're so new to being demons, I'm even going to babysit them! Don't rush with that 'getting me back home' project if you aren't in the mood. I'm gonna re-establish deep emotional connections with them all in the meantime. Solomon: Haha, yeah... I just hope I can be someone you can come home to. MC: Right.... Anyway, I'm off to the House of Lamentation to start my Mammon arc.

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Belphie: Wait, MC's a human? I hate those things. Lemme kill it. Solomon: Solomon ex machina! I'm here to save the day! I might be smiling, but I am livid! It looks like you guys need some time to cool off too, so I'm just gonna take MC here and remove us both from time and space.

WHOOSH!

MC: My boys... :( Solomon: Don't worry, MC. Human solidarity! Right? Human solidarity? Promise. Human solidarity. Swear it. MC: Oops, I can't promise in the magic knowledge grotto, hahaha. Lucifer: Hello there. I'm going to kill you. MC: No you're not. Here's a grimoire as a token of good faith. I promise I'll take care of you guys forever. Magic Knowledge Grotto: No promises here, human scum. Perish.

----

Lucifer: They're in a coma? I feel a little bad actually. Solomon: As you should. Mammon: What are we supposed to do now? Solomon: Let them recover in your guest room. I think that will help.

----

Okay but listen. There's something so heartbreaking about Solomon telling the brothers to have you stay in the guest room after the incident in Thirteen's cave. He clearly does this because he knows how much that environment will help you. I wouldn't think Solomon really loved MC in a genuine way if it wasn't for that act of altruism. Jealousy be damned, you need your boys, so off you go. He sacrifices his chance to be the person you literally go home to because he wants what's best for you.

So this was supposed to be purely me laughing at MC's habit of disregarding Solomon in favor of the brothers but now I'm kind of sad.

(Solomon wanting to be "someone you can come home to" appears in his birthday call on NB; not sure if it also appears elsewhere in the game.)

[livesworthlivingau]

Lives Worth Living Chapter 34

ISAT/Two Hats spoilers below as always! CW: Heights, Peril, Falling

(You slowly awaken with a yawn and light stretch, feeling those familiar strong arms around you and cuddling up into them.) "Hmmmmmm... Morning~."

"Morning sleepy head. Do you know how crabbing cute you are when you sleep?" (Isa pulls you closer to himself, kissing your head as he holds you in that secure, comforting grip.)

"Hehe, noooooo, you're just biased!"

"Nope, it's a scientific fact! I did the math and everything!"

"Noooooooo! You can't bring math into this! That's cheatiiiiing!"

"Too late, I calculated everything and it all checks out! You've been mathematically proven to be super duper adorable, I don't make the rules!"

"I'll never be seen as a cool, mysterious rogue ever again..."

"Hah! Nope, sorry, you're just a cutie patootie, my sweet Siffarooni~." (You can't help but laugh at how ridiculous this was getting. You shift in his arms to face him, giving a love drunk smile up at him before closing your eye. You lean in for a kiss, being met with the warm bliss of his face meeting yours... before you're interrupted by sunlight pouring in as the tent flap is opened up.)

"Uuuuugh! Why is everyone being so gross lately?! First Nille gets all cuddly with Vale and now you two are being all kissy again!!" (Bonnie shouts in protest. You both can't help but laugh in response. You gently push off of him to sit up.)

"So sorry snack leader! We'll keep the grossness to a minimum!"

"Good! Now come on, breakfast is ready, we gotta head out soon if we're gonna get a ride back home!" (They command before rushing back out.)

(You remember them saying something about a horse drawn carriage that takes people through the mountain range in about a day, while going around takes 3. You perk up as you feel Isa's hand against your face, pulling you closer as he kisses your cheek.)

"It's a good thing we didn't tell them what the minimum was." (You can't help but blush a bit at that, turning your head to give them a light peck on the cheeks.)

"Maybe your math skills aren't so bad after all~."

"I SAID BREAKFAST TIIIIIME!!" (Bonnie shouts from the middle of the campsite, causing you both to jump.)

"R-Right!!"

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"I know I'm usually the one that complains about having to walk everywhere... but this can't be the superior option." (Odile complains, seeing the rickety old carriage we'd be taking through the mountains. Nille laughs her worry off.)

"C'mon, they take this path like every day, it'll be fine, Dile!"

"The more times it completes its journey successfully, the more likely it is to fail the next one..." (Isa lets out a hearty laugh.)

"Hah! Don't worry madame, I'll block the window for you! I'm sure the journey will go nice and smooth!"

"Fantastic... Forgive me if I request Vale to knock me unconscious again during the trip." (Odile complains further before Mira chimes in with a giggle.)

"I'll be sure not to heal you too much if that's the case m'dame!"

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(You're all crammed into the just large enough carriage as it's on its way. You and Vale sat opposite each other next to one set of doors, Odile and Nille sat in the middle with Bonnie in Nille's lap, then Mira and Isa sat beside the doors on the other side, helping block the window like he said he would. You even gave Odile your hat to help block her vision as she tried to focus on her book as a distraction.)

"WE'RE ALMOST HOOOOOME!!!" (Bonnie cheers, excitedly bouncing on Nille's lap while she held them securely.)

"Boniface if you don't stop bouncing I'm going to crabbing lose it." (The sudden and desperate outburst from Odile made everyone freeze, even Bonnie was staring in shock.)

"Holy crab, she said crab..." (Nille laughs, noting everyone's reactions to this.)

"I'm guessing that means you should really stop doing that, bug."

"Sorry Dile!" (They quickly respond, trying to sit politely and motionless... very clearly trying super hard to keep their leg from bouncing even. Isa chimes in to try and ease the tension.)

"So why don't you two tell us more about Bambouche? Without the bouncy enthusiasm." (Bonnie sticks their tongue out playfully at Isa before Nille begins to explain.)

"Oh it's amazing! Wonderful port town with plenty to do. The beach is just gorgeous, especially at night! Everyone there is so sweet, even by Vaugarde standards. They all even saw me off to try and find y'all, threw a little good luck party for me, gave me some extra coin and supplies." (Her smile shifts a bit as she goes on, less cheery and almost bittersweet?) "They've helped me out a lot when I needed it... I couldn't be more thankful to live there."

(Isa takes note of her tone change before speaking again.) "Sounds like a terrific place! Can't wait to meet everyone there! And hey, that reminds me Bonnie, who taught you how to cook anyhow? Nille mentioned she was uhh... lacking in that department."

"You don't gotta sugar coat it, I could find a way to ruin the simplest dish you could imagine, it's like a curse on me or something!" (She chuckles before Bonnie responds.)

"One of our neighbors had a really nice old cook book style familytale! Everyone in her family wrote down their favorite recipes and even made up one or two themselves. They didn't always turn out great, but it showed me how fun it can be to make up stuff and try putting different foods together!" (Mira makes her bright sparkly face you love to see as she joins in.)

"Oh! That sounds wonderful! I remember how much fun my cooking class was!! Though sadly I think I was closer to the Nille side of the spectrum!"

(You all enjoy a nice laugh together, even Odile having been distracted enough to relax again and enjoy a chuckle. You glance back over at Vale. They've been silently staring out of the window the whole time, but the soft smile on their face shows they were listening, enjoying the company from the sidelines like you often do. They notice you looking at them and you give them a brighter smile. They force one back before going back to staring out at the mountains.)

(Nille takes note, placing a hand on their back to gently rub at it.) "How yah doing, Vay?"

"Oh, I'm fine~! Why do you ask?"

"You just seem mighty entranced by that window."

"Just enjoying the view is all~. You all continue your conversation, I'm fine, truly."

"Okay, if you say-" (The sound of splintering wood fills the air as the carriage suddenly shifts and slams to the ground, launching all of you to the side as you and Vale bash into the doors. They burst open at your impact before you're suddenly careening off the edge of the cliff with them.)

"SIF!!!"

"VALE!!!"

(You hear voices call out for you both as you rapidly approach the ground before-

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[shhuuga]

PARTITION — HAN JISUNG AND LEE MINHO.

warnins ; double penetration (fingering),reader is spanish speaking and is described as brown skinned, mean minho:((, consensual slapping, also double penetration again (suckin n fuckin) LMAO im having too mucvfun wid dis

sum up ; driver, roll up the partition please? ion need u seein y/n on ha knees.. yah anyways u minho and jisung fuckin in da back after an event spoiler alert! y'all ain't making it to da club 😔🙏🏾

"y/n! over here, please!" the cameras are flashing all around you as you walk through the crowd of paparazzi, just trying to get to the limousine where jisung was already sitting on his far left seat that he was sitting in on the way to this event.

you just tried to remember the advice minho had given you before pushing the doors open and walking into the sea of photographers; "don't stop moving." keyword here being, you tried.

thinking you were close enough to the car to give a few smiles, you slowed your stride just by a bit before looking up at all the cameras surrounding you, the flash being a bit harsh on your eyes. then, unexpectedly, minho bumped into your back, or rather, his boner did.

he sucked in a tight breath, hoping nobody noticed your surprised face or his less than excited one as you scurried into the car to save yourself from embarrassment. he nods with a curt smile, sauntering to the car a bit stiffly due to his hard on before slipping into the back seat and sulking into it.

"driver, roll up the partition please?" your voice is smooth as you lean slightly forward to practically whisper in your driver's ear. he doesn't take his eyes off the road, nodding his head as the thick plate starts to cover the space between the back and front seats.

you assume your previous position, this time reaching your manicured hand to minho's crotch. his hand covers yours, gripping it before moving it to where his tip resides. then it's han's turn, he makes the slightest surprised sound at your cool hand settling on his warm dick through his pants, feeling blood starting to rush to it.

"you–" minho started, taking his hand to your thigh and starting to slide it upward, "need to learn how to listen. do you know how much trouble we could've been in because of your little stunt? hmm?"

of course you do, and you could spew a hundred and one excuses about how you really didn't mean to and you weren't trying to make minho angry, but you knew it was always gonna end the same. with you, minho and han notably missing from the club after this event.

a soft sting is landed on your cheek, it doesn't even make your head turn. just enough to get your attention. and it does, well, the sting and jisung starting to reach his hand under your dress as well.

"i think she knows, hyung. but maybe she needs to be reminded." han's lips hover over your neck, whispering in your ear to make sure that you're alright with this. you nod, albeit nervously nd it takes just that much for your panties to get pulled to your knees.

han takes his lips to your neck, meanwhile minho uses his large arm and hooks it around your torso, pulling you into the "eiffel tower" position (on your knees facing minho basically) then minho reaches to feel your pussy, your warm slick greeting him in return.

"fuck, aren't you just filthy? so wet, 'nd spreading your legs like a fuckin' whore." minho dips his fingers into your cunt and curls them upwards, immediately finding that spot and making you keel backwards into han, who took this opportunity to coax your mouth open to he could rest two of his long fingers in your throat.

every time minho pushes his fingers against your g-spot, you choke on han's fingers and spit starts to dribble down your chin, taking some of your lipstick with it. finally, jisung takes his fingers out of your mouth and circles your tighter hole with his spit covered fingers before pushing them in slowly.

"ay, mierda.. oh fuck..!" your hips jerk forward, giving minho more access to your pussy. he pushes his fingers impossibly deeper, both him and jisung knuckle deep into you.

they pump their fingers in unison, watching you whine and hold on to the leather seats to stop yourself from keening into them. your eyes that were shut in pleasure jut open as you hear han whimpering behind you. his hand is tight around his cock as he breathes in your scent, kissing your neck with fervour.

minho starts to reach his hand under his pants as well, "come here, baby. show me you know how to listen." he pulls softly at your neck, which makes you arch your back and both men pull their fingers out of you.

you get down and put minho's dick in your mouth, his large hand pushing you down to the hilt. there's some shuffling behind you before you feel jisung stretching your pussy with his fat cock, the moan coming from deep in your throat making minho throw his head back.

it's like a scene from a porno. you're sucking minho off, making sure to breathe through your nose so his cock can glide down your throat with ease, meanwhile han is behind you, fucking you good. minho's watching (and listening), every time jisung pushed himself into you a whimper was given in response. your mascara starts smudging, and you feel minho reach and wipe the tears from your eyes. smiling at you almost condescendingly.

"hah, fuck, hyung.. shit, she's so fuckin' tight..i don't think i can hold off for too long.. fuck!" jisung warns as he starts to speed up, making you head move faster on minho's cock. all three of you were close, you could tell.

"she'll let you cum in her, won't you baby? it'll be compensation for your little stunt earlier.." you completely forgot that's why you were in this mess, but now you're glad you did. you nod, which makes minho groan and start to push your head down and pull it back up however he liked, your brain starting to cloud up.

it's too much, it's not enough. jisung's thumb on your clit and the opposite being in your ass makes you wanna pull away and sink into him at the same time, minho is squeezing your airway with his cock and the fast movements make you feel like you're on a roller coaster. the warmth in your belly bubbles over as both them men on top of you cum and watch in marvel as you squirt and cover han's abdomen.

all of you sulk, jisung pulling out and minho lifting your head off his cock so they can messily redress you. it's the best they can do for you makeup being smudged and rubbed every which way, you pupils being dilated and your legs shaking. you take a deep breath as a window is rolled down, taking the hot, steamy smell of sex and perfume and replacing it with cool, salty air that makes your lungs expand as your eyes close on minho's exposed chest. you take another breath, and fall asleep.

[ploppythespaceship]

Uglies - Movie Thoughts

On a whim, I decided to start re-reading the Uglies series a couple months ago -- so imagine my surprise when I found out it was getting a movie! Said movie is now out, and it was interesting to watch with the book being so fresh in my head.

Overall, it's... eh. It's not a complete train wreck, the way most critics seem to want you to think, but it is fairly bland and uninspired. It's a very watered down version of the book. It also has the misfortune of feeling like yet another a Hunger Games wannabe, despite the original book pre-dating that series by several years.

Spoilers for everything under the cut.

What I Liked

Based on reviews, I seem to be in the minority here, but I thought the cast was pretty good. People seem to hate Joey King as Tally, but I thought she was fine. Brianne Tju is easily the best in the cast, stealing the whole damn movie as Shay. Laverne Cox also gives an excellent performance as Cable, though I do think she should not have been given that role for other reasons (which I'll get into later).

I've also seen complaints that the characters aren't ugly enough. They talk about how ugly they are and point out their specific ugly features, when they don't actually appear that ugly. And I think everyone complaining about that is completely missing the point. The "Uglies" aren't actually ugly -- they're just normal people, who've been conditioned to think their imperfect features are hideous.

I was honestly unsure how the Pretties would be visualized -- in fact, I wondered if the book would just be fundamentally unadaptable because of it -- but they did a fairly good job. I think leaning on CGI and unnatural affectations was the right way to go. All the Pretties have this uncanny quality to them that suits the story perfectly.

The overall production design was solid as well. I like how Uglyville is all gray concrete and muted tones, while New Pretty Town is shimmering golds. Then upon reaching the Smoke, all the colors of nature finally come through. I do think that could have pushed that last one a little bit more, but it still works well.

Apart from that, I don't really have much to shout out. It's competently written, well-performed, well put together. I know it doesn't sound like I have much praise, but it is a competent movie.

What I'm Mixed On

By far the biggest change from the book is Peris becoming a Special. And I'm torn on it. On the one hand, it does make him a bigger part of the story -- he's honestly not much more than an inciting incident in the book. It gives him and Tally a unique arc that's probably the strongest through-line in the story. On the other hand, the Specials as a concept are so under-cooked (more on that later) and the actor is so bland that it still doesn't quite land the way it's supposed to.

What I Didn't Like

The pacing of this movie is by far its worst issue. We are flying through this plot. There is no time for anything to breathe, for characters to develop meaningful connections, for the bigger moments to feel earned. Some things do make sense to condense -- Tally's journey to the Smoke would have been incredibly boring without her internal monologue, so condensing most of that into a montage makes sense. But I do feel we lost too much. That's where a lot of Tally's characterization comes out, where we can see her bravery and ingenuity -- none of that comes across in the movie.

A lot of important beats are rushed. Tally agreeing to help Dr. Cable is over in a flash. It feels like Tally's in the Smoke for all of fifteen minutes. Tally and David barely interact, so their relationship has no real stake. Everyone is kidnapped by Special Circumstances, and then rescued immediately after. I almost think a 5-6 episode mini-series would have worked better -- but that might have introduced the opposite problem, where everything takes too long.

The movie also has frequent montages that don't really work. It seems like they were trying to show the passage of time, but it just makes everything feel even shorter.

The beginning of the movie has an exposition problem, as well. It opens with a montage explaining the entire setting... before leading into several scenes that also explain the setting through dialogue. We get fed the same details about the surgery and the Rusties and the flowers at least three times at the start, and it gets grating.

As already mentioned, Tally is pretty severely underwritten. In the book, she has a distinct personality and a unique presence. In the movie, she's just the main character because she happens to be the main character. Her intelligence and resourcefulness are pretty much gone.

I also think changing her motivation for going to the Smoke did her a disservice. In the book, Tally goes to the Smoke so she can have her surgery, and because she's convinced herself that Shay needs her help. In the movie, Dr. Cable tells her that the Smokies have a weapon, and she will be saving lives by helping to find them. I think giving her a more selfless motivation robs her of her character arc. She always comes across as someone trying to help, who wants to best for other people, rather than someone who had to consciously learn that.

The Specials are barely even a presence. I'm not sure they were even directly called Specials. People who hadn't read the book would never realize that there was an entire separate status of person here. You never see their disturbingly beautiful faces or their terrifying strength. Considering how pivotal the Specials are to the overall story, especially in the later books, it's really odd not to see them properly established here.

Like I said, Laverne Cox gives an excellent performance as Dr. Cable... but I think they should have thought twice before casting a trans woman. It's not necessarily that there's a trans woman in the villainous role, but that there's a trans woman in the villainous role who specifically wants to force people to have surgeries to brainwash them. Like... did the optics of that really not occur to anyone? At all? I think Cox could have played David's mother, instead.

[chimivx]

public occurrences. // myg.

pairing: Idol!Yoongi x Female!Reader

summary: It's been almost a year since Vegas. As one would expect, life hasn't gotten any easier. If anything it's gotten even more chaotic. The world knows who you are now... There aren't anymore secrets to hide.

words: 6k

warnings: SLIGHT SPOILERS IN THE WARNINGS. use of cuss words, they talk of anxiety, some mental health situations, talks about a miscarriage, talks about Jin and other members leaving. other than that- not much else. If I missed anything PLEASE let me know.

a/n: CAN'T BELIEVE ANOTHER VEGAS IS HERE. Enjoy my loves. Thank you for all the love and support always. <3 It's just a short little drabble of one specific moment of time, but I thought it was pretty important.

~ the end of february 2023 ~

A dull pain begins to erupt where you’ve had your jaw clenched for the last twenty minutes. A soreness in your jaw you’re not quite sure will ever be able to go away. For the past few months it’s found itself in this compromised position.

Your entire body is made of steel, your joints creaking as you attempt to pull yourself together amidst the panic ensuing within your nervous system. Limbs heavy to the point you aren’t sure whether or not you’ll be able to exit the vehicle.

Breathe in, breathe out. The words repeat.

Breath in, breathe out. It made you want to sing Hobi’s song. Inhale, inhale, exhale, exhaaale. But there was no time for fun. Not when you were about to walk outside in front of cameras for the first time in eight years.

The morning was spent in a blur, the attempts to perfect your hair and makeup happening at an hour too early, much like how you rolled out of bed. An hour too early. You were awake before your daughter even had the chance to stir.

Anxiety had been simmering beneath your skin for weeks. You could barely eat, the nausea would rip through you violently. Again, for the past few months that’s how life has been, nausea, anxiety, melancholy thoughts and dreams, however this event seemed to be adding twice as much. These past few days you’ve probably accumulated a total of nine hours of sleep. You had more shuteye the week after your daughter's birth.

There seemed to be a butterfly effect from the events in Vegas. The incident that caused countless meetings and endless discussions because the company just couldn’t handle anymore media control or protection. You should never have trusted that girl.

BigHit took their time, the company drug out the announcement as long as they could so it would surpass Jin’s deployment and your goddamn wedding. Now, with it being the end of February, Yoongi’s been traveling absolutely everywhere for basketball games, photoshoots, and he’s announced a tour… It was about to happen. For the very first time in eight years you were officially about to be on camera, branded by flashes, posted online permanently, forever going to be seen and known as Min Yoongi’s wife.

Next to you, Yoongi grips your knee tight, in hopes to settle your worries. Glancing down to his knobby hand you sigh and suck in a deep breath.

“We’ll be fine,” he said softly. Meeting his comforting gaze, you attempt to smile, one that makes him laugh. “I promise. Remember everything we talked about?”

You do. Of course you do. It’s been playing on repeat for one hundred and sixty eight hours. 

That’s how many hours are in a week. You had to google that.

When this entire plan was set in place you requested a play by play, a step by step tutorial- a rehearsal even! You were walking out into the public eye with your child for the first time. People knew who you were now. 

There were going to be cameras, and fans, and paparazzi, and loud noises, and people rushing you, and standards to follow. It was all too much, it all seemed to be entirely too much. You were going to have a toddler on your hip, one who could barely stand to be in a room full of people her father worked with let alone god knows how many strangers at an airport.

“What happens first?” Yoongi asked, reaching for one of your hands to tangle his fingers with yours. He could feel your panic. “Tell me the first thing we’re going to do.”

Gulping, you respond, “Park.” Looking up at his short hair that you’re livid with- his long hair was dreamy, and sexy, and you could pull it- you receive another laugh. He hadn’t expected you to be so literal.

“Good, we’ll park,” he praised. “And then what?” Tipping his chin down his eyes widened a bit, becoming all the more endearing.

“Then, Branson and his team get out,” you said, feeling a bit better looking into his eyes. Yoongi gives you a soft smile, dragging his thumb over the back of your hand.

“Has Branson ever let you down?”

“Never,” you whispered. Almost nine incident free years with the man, after Yoongi, you depended on. 

Your husband leans in to press a kiss to your forehead. “Exactly,” he said. “What happens next?”

Going through the last three simple steps, everything seemed ready to go to plan. Once Branson was ready, you were going to take your daughter out of her carseat, exit the car, and follow the men inside. You would be the one to carry your daughter, just in case. People were unpredictable in these situations, and Yoongi agreed that if something were to happen to him here, you should be the one to carry her inside. As much as that little comment terrified you to hear him say, he was right.

Simple as pie. You hoped.

In a perfect world that’s how it would happen, and you want nothing more than for this to go smoothly.

People knew your name. Everyone has found out that it’s been years. The company was prepared for mass destruction, and so were you and Yoongi. A first public appearance, this is where it would all go to shit. There isn’t much chaos people can fully ensue over the internet.

As for your friends, the two of you personally asked them to stay out of it and at the drop of a hat they agreed. The five boys and Sunny shook on it. No one would say a word publicly, no one would do any interviews, no tweets, no Instagram posts, no stories pushed, no Weverse comments. Silence. Radio silence.

Jin has most definitely heard what has happened, and the next time you and Yoongi get to see him, there will be tea to spill. Your heart aches whenever you think about him, especially for Yoongi. He’s had to go through this madness and so much more without his best friend.

The week after he left was complete and utter hell for your family. And not just because of Jin.

Pushing aside all thoughts of having to redo the motions with Hobi very soon, you come to realize that steps one and two of the plan have already commenced.

The black SUV was parked in front of the airport, and Branson and his team were setting themselves up. Through the dark tinted windows there are crowds upon crowds of people, masses of them so large one would think the entire band was here. It reminded you of a concert, they were all waiting in groups with their phones out, pointing them at the vehicles that you and your team were in.

Slapping your hand on top of Yoongi's, you grip it tight, digging your nails into his palm. He places his other right on top of yours.

“I can’t do it,” you mumbled, whipping your head to shoot him a terrified look.

Yoongi smiles, though your fear threatens to crack him. If this wasn’t ordered by the company he’d whisk you away to safety, getting inside the airport without a soul knowing. He’s broken these rules before, going against what his company wants for your sake, it’s been eight years of you coming first, you topping all things that have to do with his job. 

Now that the gig was up, now that people knew who you were and knew that it’s been forever, he feels as though he owes it to his fans to do a three minute appearance. As much as he was deeply in love with you, he loved his fans almost as much. He wanted to show you off, he wanted the world to see who’s been keeping him sane all this time, who’s been the source of his happiness for years.

“Yanno, the last time you told me that you seemed to handle everything just fine,” he said, glancing at your sleeping daughter beside you. Blowing a gust of air through your lips, you roll your eyes.

“I didn’t have to do any work, D, they cut her out of me,” you grilled back, narrowing your eyes. “I can’t-” your words are cut off by a sudden short breath. “I feel like I can’t breathe,” escapes you in a whisper. 

Branson taps his fist on the window a couple of times gently, signaling that he was ready for the three of you to come out. The murmurs from the crowds can be heard, leaking through the cracks in the doors, swarming around you constricting your chest.

Yoongi slips an arm around your back, holding you against him tight. Burying your face into his chest, he rests his chin on top of your head and takes a deep breath. You can feel his beating heart steady between his lungs. This was just another day for him. He’s had ten years to grow used to this.

“I was afraid this was going to happen,” he said softly. Peeking up at him, you frown.

“What?” you question, lowering your brows. He nods a couple of times, giving you a small smile.

“I was afraid this was going to happen, because I knew this was going to happen,” he said.

“Me freaking out, right?” you sighed, your tone completely breathless. A soft hum leaves his chest as he ponders what you’ve said, then he shakes his head. “What?” you question again with more vigor.

“Well,” he huffs a gentle laugh, “I figured something along the lines of that would happen, but only ‘cause of her,” he nods to your daughter, “Not because you’re scared of going out there. You’re only worried for her. If it were seven years ago you think you’d feel this way?”

Shaking your head to answer him, the electricity coursing through your veins seems to subside.

“Exactly,” he smirked. “Before her you were dancing in the streets before my shows, you were talking to people, my fans! You were prancing around stadiums and concerts like it was nothing.”

“I loved doing that,” you smiled. 

“Fuck yeah, you loved doing that,” he said, giving you the smallest shake. “And, you know what? It’s not just you going out there as my wife, right? They know what you’ve done for us, they know what you’ve made for us.”

Your smile starts to grow. He was right. The fans, the people, they loved your work. The music videos, the art, the TinyTan, the creative concepts, the photoshoots, all of it. They finally knew that it was you. The ghost creator had been unveiled.

“You probably have fans of your own,” Yoongi said matter of factly. “I guarantee you all these people are here for you, not me.” Frowning humorously, you make him laugh.

“Doubt that,” you said flatly.

“Alright, half and half,” he winked, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “We can do this, you can do this. We’re doing it together, like we do everything. We’ll get through this together. We always do. Just think, next time we see Jin we have to tell him all about this, he’ll never believe it.” 

Averting your eyes from his, your mind is suffocated by the many, many things you’re going to have to tell Jin when you’re with him again, which you’re hoping is soon. So much has happened, so much has changed, and it’d only been about three months.

“Yeah,” you whispered, flickering your eyes up to Yoongi who’s flashing you a curious look. “He probably still thinks I’m pregnant.”

A flash of discomfort wrecks his expression for all of two seconds as he glances away from you with a breath. Swallowing hard, he relaxes his face and looks back at you, his lips pressed together tight.

“He, uh,” he began in a whisper, “He... knows.” Before you have a chance to say anything, the subtle shock on your face telling him plenty, he cuts you off. “I’m sorry, baby. I had to tell him, it’s Jin, that’s my best friend, he’s the only one I could even say the words to.”

Sitting up a bit, you reach a hand up to cup his cheek, dragging your thumb over his smooth skin. “D, it’s okay,” you reassured him, bobbing your head. His lips form a pout, one that gets you to giggle. “I promise, it’s okay.”

There’s a moment of quiet between the two of you, feelings swirling around the empty air as you both choose what to do or say next. Yoongi leans into you, kissing your forehead once more before placing his own there.

“You’re so incredible,” he said, watching you flutter your eyes shut. “The strongest woman I know, the most talented woman I know. On top of having such a beautiful, creative mind, you’re a fucking fantastic mother.” Yoongi pauses, taking a deep breath, as do you. “He was lucky to have you for as long as he did.”

A lump lodges in your throat. Scrunching your face, you shake your head, rubbing your forehead to his.

“Don’t make me cry,” you said, voice wavering with uncertainty. 

“Cry?” a tiny voice speaks up from your right, a yawn of the same intensity coming out of her straight after. Popping your eyes open you share a small smile with your husband, and just as you’re about to turn to your little one, Yoongi slips a hand beneath your chin, holding you in place.

“Hey,” his voice is soothing. “I love you.” Your heart flutters.

“I love you, too,” you whispered, accepting the quick kiss he gives you.

Turning to the carseat that has secured a permanent spot in this car, you smile at your daughter who has her head turned toward you and her father. Her sleepy eyes entice a happy hum from you.

“You were supposed to sleep through this,” you said sarcastically sweet. Yoongi chuckles, unbuckling from his seat. The clang of the metal on the door makes your heart skip a beat.

“No,” your daughter said. “No sleep. All done.” Her voice is tiny, and slightly broken, and not hitting all of the right sounds, but her speech has only been improving. The two of you speak to her like she’s a human being, saving the baby voices for when she’s feeling silly, which can attest to her strong vocabulary and understanding of conversation.

You’re beginning to think she is a genius like her father.

“Mama, up,” she cooed, reaching out her arms that were finally starting to get a little chubby. Her cheeks had caught up to her as well, they were finally perfectly pinchable.

Freeing her from the car seats restraints, your daughter aids you in her escape, launching herself forward and up into your arms with a shout.

“Oh!” she giggles once her arms are around your neck and her face is buried in your hair. 

“Oh!” you and Yoongi copy her, to which she responds with another shout.

Her attentive eyes point out the window when she sits herself up, tapping on your shoulder a couple of times with her palm. Lifting a hand, she tries to point at the crowds of people.

“Where?” she asked curiously, looking to either of her parents for an answer. Her voice turned you into a complete puddle, the sound coming out as ��Wheh?’, the middle syllable is even more pronounced when she questions the two of you again.

Yoongi brings a hand to her forehead, brushing away a few dark hairs that fell into her eyes. The girl hated bows, you stopped trying.

 “We’re at the airport,” he told her, and she listened with all of her might. “We’re going on a plane, isn’t that fun? You like flying.” Her eyes blink a few times, taking her time to process the words. 

Sighing aloud, dramatically of course, she glances out the window and mumbles a jumble of sounds. Following her gaze, you gulp. 

Eager eyes of bystanders attempted to shatter the glass of the tinted windows.

“Mama,” your daughter said, looking at you. “Go, Mama,” she bounced once. “Go,” she bounced twice. You knew the moment you stepped out into the noise and the flashing lights that she would have a meltdown, but you admired her desire to get out of the car. Yoongi was right, she loved flying, it was her second favorite thing right now. Securely at number one was Jungkook, for a year and seven months. That spot was unattainable for anyone else.

“Shall we?” Yoongi offered, watching you fiercely, letting you take the lead. He waited patiently for your answer, heaving a sigh of relief when you finally gave him a tentative nod of your head.

“Dada, go,” your daughter babbled. “Mama, go. Dada, go. Mama, go.”

Sharing a laugh with Yoongi, you take a long deep breath and tighten your grip around her back, holding her in front of your chest. Smiling at you, your baby touched a hand to your cheek.

“I love you,” you whispered to her. She leans her head toward you and puts her nose on yours.

“Ah-luh-oo,” she tried her best to repeat. Stealing a kiss from her, you let Yoongi press a thousand to her cheek to make her giggle, and then it’s time.

Everything seems to move in slow motion, your vision tunneling as your husband opens the car door. Pulling a mask over his face, he sends you a reassuring wink before he rounds the vehicle.

Screams erupt from every corner of the space, and shouting from the team can already be heard. Strict shouting, like things were getting crazy already. Your daughter’s eyes are wide as she looks out the windows and up at you. Her curiosity has been swapped for a little bit of fear. 

You couldn’t let her see you panic.

Sliding off of the leather seat and onto the concrete of the airport lot, you pull a mask over your own face and instantly slip a hand to the back of your baby's head. Her legs were wrapped around your torso, and the moment you stepped outside her arms clung around your neck for safety. You already had a suspicion that you weren’t going to have to actively try to hide her face, she would want to do that herself.

Your bags were already taken care of, there wasn’t anything else you needed to grab from the car other than your child and yourself. Everything else would be taken care of for you.

With another deep, dramatic breath, you hold your daughter close, allowing her to bury her face into your neck, and you circle the car like Yoongi had. Upon rounding the back, cameras that were already flashing began to flash faster, quicker. Wide eyed and stunned by the greeting of screams, you barely have time to process anything before Branson grabs your arm. 

It’s a gentle tug, one to help keep you on track. He pulls you close to him, staying one step ahead of you as you wait for a couple of seconds in front of the car. Glancing amongst the crowd, it’s mainly full of paparazzi and probably some journalists. Behind the tall men and their cameras you can see the fans, the ones holding up their phones and jumping up and down trying to catch a glimpse at the commotion.

Airport security guards held some people back, though no one seemed to be trying to push through excessively, which was your main fear. 

“Another minute here,” Branson said to you, leaning into your ear. “They need photos, then we go.” Nodding, you peek down at your girl who was content clinging to her mother and hiding from the chaos. A sound of admiration rips through the crowd as you stroke her back, one that surprises you.

Up ahead, close to the doors, Yoongi was walking backward slowly, watching you. His fans twisted their heads side to side, from him, to you, and back again. To spice things up a bit, he gives you a wave, and everyone goes nuts.

You can’t help but laugh at him, eyes crinkling at the sides. For some reason you had thought he’d treat you differently when you were outside, but aside from following the rules, he was still your husband. He points to the baby on your chest and questions you with a thumbs up. Another giant ‘Awh!’ rolls through the chattering crowd.

Sending a thumbs up back, the fans laugh, and cheer. Then, your heart plummets to your stomach.

From somewhere within the crowd your name is shouted. And then again. Before you knew it, the entire crowd wanted your attention. Overwhelmed, feeling utterly insane, your eyes well up with tears. You're unable to make out anything else they’re saying though, there were too many people talking at once, and to you, that was a good thing.

God forbid anybody had anything bad to say. You’ve heard it before, but you don’t need to live it in real time.

“Holy shit,” you mumbled. Branson leans into you again, questioning what you’ve said. Turning to him, you smile and repeat, “Holy shit!” 

“You’re okay?” he asked, gently putting a hand over your shoulder blade. 

“I- I think so?” you said to him, raising your voice over the crowd that was only getting louder. Glancing down to your daughter who’s little fists were attempting to rip holes in your sweater, you send a look to Yoongi, and he stops walking all together. Bundled up in the safety of her mothers arms wasn’t enough for the baby, she needed to be out of this situation immediately. “Branson we have to go.”

“I don’t have the signal yet, we need Yoongi inside before we move forward,” he said. Frowning, you knew the man was just doing his job, but a cry from your daughter flipped a switch within you.

“We need to go,” you insisted, shooting him a glare. Cradling the back of her head, you press your masked lips to her hair and take a deep breath, hoping she’d feel as much of your love as possible. 

“Go! Get him inside,” Branson spoke into the tiny walkie he carried on his chest, gesturing toward the door with persistence. 

The crowd, now roaring, and growing larger, began to push. The barriers that were blocked by guards were spilling over the edge.

Branson placed a hand to the top of your shoulder and held onto you tight. Grabbing the little speaker, he spoke clearer. “We need to move forward, and we cannot do that if you cannot get him indoors.”

Up ahead your husband was watching you with a heated gaze. His attention didn’t deter from you once. His heart twisted when you cradled your daughter, when he saw Branson begin to get defensive. The hand that was placed protectively on your shoulder could make him scream, and the team behind him, calling after him to get him to step inside the airport made his thoughts fuzzy.

What the hell was he doing? Why would he ever allow the two of you, the most important people in his life, why would he allow you to do it alone? This was the very first time you’ve done this, and he’s realized now that he’s made the biggest mistake.

Forgetting everything he was told, everything he’s learned, Yoongi bounds toward you, using the fast paced walk that his fans clown him for. They absolutely lose their minds, the people around you. 

Wide eyed and shocked, you’d never think he’d break the rules on this one, you sigh in relief when he reaches your side. An arm wraps around your shoulder, Yoongi closing you in front of his chest.

“What are you doing?” you asked, giving your head a small shake.

Your husband smiles, reaching up to pull his mask off of his face, removing yours as well.

“Not letting you do it alone,” he said to you, leaning in to press a kiss to your lips. As you could’ve guessed, the collective lost their minds. 

“You’re gonna get in trouble,” you smiled up at him, laughing as he dramatically rolled his eyes.

“You two are always worth it,” he said. “Now, c’mon,” he stepped aside to hold you behind your back, keeping you tucked beneath his arm. Using his other hand he rubbed the baby’s back and gave her cheek a quick kiss, happy to find that once he joined you two she had calmed down. “Let’s go see Kookie.”

Her head shot right up with enormous dark eyes full of stars. “Koo-hee?!”

“Koo-hee!” Both you and Yoongi copy her tiny voice, making her giggle with the silly smiles you flash at her.

The world around you seemed to melt away the second you were in your husband's arms, like all of a sudden you had the strength to handle anything the world would have thrown at you. His grip around your body as he walked with you into the airport was enough to silence the crowd, and power your legs to get through the doors without an incident.

A mere twenty minutes later, the three of you were seated on the plane, your daughter snoozing soundly on her fathers chest while you scrolled through your phone, curious to see what the internet has had to say of your appearance already. Resting his head on your shoulder, Yoongi followed along, making a sweet comment at every single photo of you.

“Oh, that one is the best,” he said quietly, your Twitter scroll stopping on a picture of the three of you before you walked off. The big, genuine, happy smiles you and Yoongi wore were priceless as you grinned at your baby girl, one whose face didn’t make it into any photos- thank the good Lord that somebody believes in. “You should post that one.”

Giving him a sideways glance, you huff a gentle laugh. “To my Instagram? It’s just gone public, you want me to blow it up even more?”

Yoongi tips his chin up, flashing you pouty puppy dog eyes. “I just want them all to know you’re mine. Both of you. I want everyone to know I’m yours, and I always have been.” You gave his forehead a kiss.

“Okay,” you nodded, “I’ll post it. Her face isn’t in any of these, so I can post as many as I want.”

Settling comfortably on your shoulder once again, Yoongi gave you caption advice for the post- an emoji that seemingly had nothing to do with the photo… But, you used it anyway. The angel emoji, with a halo and little wings.

“That one’s perfect,” he whispered, tapping on it for you.

“If you say so,” you smiled. Yoongi sat up a bit, carefully to not disturb his sleeping daughter. “You always pick the random ones.”

“Every single one I use means something,” Yoongi gazed at you fiercely. “That little guy,” he pointed to the angel, “That makes four of us.”

Your lips parted in surprise, unsure of what to say. That week in December devastated you both. Your stomach flips while you watch him study your face. The whirlwind life you live hasn’t given either of you proper time to process, or grieve.

“Baby,” he whispered, closing the space between you to touch his forehead to yours. “You don’t have to post it if you don’t want to.”

Sucking in a deep breath, your eyes welling with tears, you furrow your brows. “What did I do wrong,” escaped you in an exasperated gust of air. Yoongi shifted, wrapping an arm around your back. 

“No,” he said, putting on his strong facade. “We don’t do that, we’ve talked about this. You know there wasn’t anything you did wrong. There wasn’t anything I did wrong. You heard the doctor say it, baby, multiple times. You gave him the perfect home, you’re healthy.” Yoongi paused to gauge where you were, praying that you were listening to him.

You respond after a few seconds, bobbing your head. Taking a deep breath, Yoongi swallows down the lump in his throat.

“It just wasn’t his time,” he whispered. “He wasn’t ready.”

“Yeah,” you whispered fast. Yoongi’s thumb found your cheek, wiping away the tears that had fallen.

“And, you remember the last time we were there, they said we could try again whenever we were ready,” he said. The end of last month you had a check-up with your doctor, just to make sure things were back to normal, and that your body was holding up alright. Your second pregnancy was a surprise, much like the first, you and Yoongi haven’t seemed to learn your lesson. However, losing your son before you had even gotten the chance to hold him in your arms put a lot of things into perspective for the two of you.

There were routine check-ups, you were eating better- both of you! This second child was something that you and your husband both wanted, and though each of your emotions have been through the wringer… You would be willing to try again when you felt like you could handle it.

“I want to,” you whispered. Yoongi smiled, but you could see his own worries within it. “I know, I feel the same way.”

“Together,” he cuts off the nervousness quickly. “We’ll do it together.”

“Uh, we kinda have to,” you giggled, making him laugh.

“I can’t wait,” he sing-songed through clenched teeth with a grin, stealing a kiss from you. Yoongi backs away from you to check on your sleeping daughter who hasn’t made a peep. He was surprised she had let her eyes shut while she was beside the window, normally she’d be gazing out at the clouds passing by.

Picking your phone up off of your lap, you smile at the angel emoji and click post, letting the notifications flood in like wildfire. This was all brand new. You were allowed to make your Instagram public about a week ago, and since then you’ve reached four million followers, while you used to have forty-six. Silencing the notifications from the app, every photo you’ve ever posted amassed an incredible amount of likes. Your feed was a feast, and the public was hungry. 

Four million followers and counting. The number was only going to get bigger.

Watching the photo gain twenty thousand likes whenever you refreshed the page, you nudged Yoongi’s shoulder to show him what was happening, and when he turned his head to look, an unknown number you’ve never seen before popped onto your screen, calling you.

“What the…” you mumbled, narrowing your eyes.

Yoongi snatched the phone from your hand and quickly snapped a photo of the screen with his own, then he silenced yours and went into it, blocking the number who tried to reach you. He called Branson over and showed him the photo, letting the head of security take his phone with him.

“Trace this, or, do something. Tell me who's number this is,” his voice is stern, on alert.

“I’m sure it���s nothing,” you said, laying your head down on his shoulder. “People get scam calls all the time.”

“Not us,” he said, tone flat.

Not even ten minutes passed before Branson came back, kneeling on the row of chairs in front of your family. He placed his elbows on the head rests and took a deep breath, darting his eyes back and forth from Yoongi to yours.

“Well?” Yoongi asked. Branson handed him his phone and frowned.

“Uh,” he stumbled over a few words, unsure of how to say what he needed to say. “We, um… The phone number belongs to your mother.” His voice is hushed, quiet, like he was afraid to tell you, when in actuality he was afraid to tell Yoongi. Touchy subject. Especially now.

There had been a restraining order set in place since the day after your daughter's first birthday. Yoongi held the meetings and took care of everything, all you had to do was sign. 

Neither one of your parents were allowed to contact you, speak to you or your daughter, or try to see you in person. They were not allowed to mail anything to you, send anyone to see you in place of themselves, nor were they allowed to be in touch with anyone close to you. Sunny included. You had to make a list.

Expecting him to jump out of his seat, you stretch a hand over his lap and grab his other hand, the one on your daughter's back. Sitting up, you turn toward him ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of his expression. It had not faltered. He was stone faced, and you were sick to your stomach.

“Sue her,” he said. Turning to you, he sighed. “We’re changing your number again.”

“D, come on, it’s not like-”

“I don’t care,” he said, peering down to admire his daughter. “She clearly hasn’t gotten the message that you don’t want anything to do with her.” He pointed his focus back to Branson. “Fight it. Do what you can.”

“Got it,” the guard said, and whisked himself away.

It’s quiet for a moment before Yoongi said, “Why are you defending her?”

“I’m not defending her,” you said, and he raised a brow, giving you a funny look. “It’s just… Super annoying to give everyone a new phone number for the third time.” Both your lips turn up into a smile. “Sue the bitch, I don’t care, D.” Yoongi laughs. “Just don’t make me change my number again, I beg of you.”

“Alright,” he said. “No new number. BUT!” His raised volume made your daughter stir. “One more thing happens, you’re changing it.” The little one lifted her head, blinking a few times before she grinned at her father.

“Fine,” you whispered, not that he was paying attention anymore anyway. Your daughter took his full focus, and all of his kisses. 

It seemed silly to just now realize that today was something of a confirmation of the last eight years. Living your life, being a secret to millions of others, while you and the people you cared most about knew, was nice, and secure, and peaceful. But, now… Now that everyone knew, the peace grew. It swallowed you whole, engulfing you and your family with stability and ease.

No more accidental reveals. No more false stories. No more rumors the company had to shut down. No more hiding.

You were absolutely free, and for now, that was everything.

thank you for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed this piece! 

feedback is always greatly appreciated & helps artists immensely. we also all love messages & the audience’s input, opinions, and ideas.

leave me some here! <3

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vegas tags <3 (i realize on the last post i missed some of you, i'm so sorry.) <3

@jewelrnicorn @yoongisducky @all-american-fangirl @funkylittlebisexuall @ahewlett @damn-u-min-yoongi @my-dark-happy-place

[smilingangel582]

Wind breaker, here I come! I couldn't watch the new episode yet due to some minor issues! Well... I wanna see more fics from others, but I'm too impatient 😤 so I'm writing one again!

Can't think of a better lee than Sakura, so... im gonna put a switch, Nirei and Sugishita! Totally ler Suo and Umemiya!

The other characters aren't gonna be part of the fic because... I never read the manga but ik bits of spoilers from it... soooo imma skip them till the anime introduces them... yeeet imma add some of the teeny tiny bits I was spoiled from the manga!

My spelling sucks ik and I'm a faster writer, so... I tend to make a lot of misspelling stuff as I type fast. (It's not ADHD or anything special... I'm just a hyper person in real life... hehe)

ENJOY!

Warning spoilers from the anime and perhaps manga "my imagination after episode 8"

The big man himself

Sakura Haruka, an outsider, but everyone in this town accepted him as family as quickly as Sakira pummeled five dudes in an instant whiff.

What the hell is this town...?

His thoughts are often reserved and well kept to himself. Even as he walked through the hallways, he noticed familiar faces greeting him as grade captain and respectful gestures. Sure Sakura can take in most and yet...

"Omg! He's the first year grade captain who beat shishitoren second in command!"

"His look is so cool!"

A small blush crept up to his cheeks, he just grunted in response, leaving them mid-praise towards him.

It's almost like an attack mechanism to Sakura, like compliments are his weakness, and the opponent strikes it mercilessly till he's crumbled.

Honestly, Sakura hates that about himself.

"Sakura-san! We need your help!"

Hearing Nirei's voice in front, he looked up, his bangs lifting at the sight of Suo and Nirei...

And Sugishita???

"What the hell do u want?" Sakura grumbled.

Suo's calmly allows to explain themselves, "Now Sakura-kun, us first years have a job to do... its specifically by Hiragi-san"

Straightening himself, Sakura nods seriously, "OK... sure"

Suo stares for a moment before chuckling into his hand, this made Sakura frown, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing... I just thought how cute it is that you actually listen to your senpais..."

Sakura got flustered and began to sputter angrily, "Q-Quiet! I don't respect... well, uh, I m-mean... ugh, never mind. What the heck do we need to do anyway?"

Suo noticed in amusement how Sakura faltered in defeat, then he replied, "Oh nothing... Sugishita-kun and Hiragi-san over-watered one of Umemiya-san's precious tomato plants..."

Sakura blinked.

Eh?

"And... whats the issue?"

Sugishita snapped, grabbing Sakura by the shirt, "It's a big problem dumbass!"

Sakura gritted his teeth in fury, "Who you calling dumbass?! Dumbass!"

Sup calmly separated them and began to run over what they should do, "So... the big issue is... they are a special gift from his -I quote 'Kotoha-chan'"

Now that made sense. Sakura pinched the bridge of his nose... no wonder they dragged him to the roof when Umemiya isn't around.

"Now what should we do?" Sakura asked folding his arms.

"We have to distract Umemiya-san, and make him forget about that plant" Nirei said, sweating buckets throughout their whole conversation. Sakura stumbled in surprise. He really forgot Nirei was actually there...

(Ps. I did, actually... teehee ^w^)

"Oh..." Sakura said blankly, putting two and two together. He turned now, "So good luck... its not my problem anyway"

"Waiiit!" Nirei clung yo his jacket, "You are out grade captain! Dont abandon us pls!!"

"Sakura-kun, we told u the story so... basically you are involved" suo shrugged nonchalantly, Sugishita glared daggers as if he's blackmailing Sakura, "You better help..."

"I could care less!"

Before anyone could pass out any words through their conversation. Sakura heard the door on the rooftop open, Umemiya came.

Oh shit.

"Ah! My cute little underclassmen!" Umemiya rushed towards the group with joy and then without warning ruffling everyone's hairs.

He specifically embaraced Sakura, showing he's a favourite.

"Ahhh! Sakuraaa" a childish cry of bliss came from the leader's lips, as he almost squashed the first year.

Sugishita glared and growled like a rottweiler, Suo claimed he's a jealous puppy further angering him.

"Well, well! What brings you lot to my humble paradise!"

Sakura squirmed out of his grip, grumbling, "Trying to protect that stupid plant of -hmph!"

He forgot... he forgot... Sakura luckily closed his own mouth before digging his own grave... and yet... Umemiya looks like he already got a shovel close to him.

"Hmm..." Umemiya smirked, now flicking his forehead, "Sakura.... When you lie, I can tell that your ear turns red"

He got flustered "I-i do not! I'm not lying!"

Sakura noticed Nirei seemed anxious, Suo with a calm and an unapologetic smile and Sugishita totally ignoring him. They all abandoned him... he was bait after all...

"Oh no~ Sakura-kun," Umemiya sang playfully, suddenly stepping forward with incredible speed, "You shouldn't shift your attention to something irrelevant when your opponent is right in front of you"

Sakura gasped when he felt Umemiya grab his waist instantly. Without realising he was pinned to the wall, he slid down when those fingers made a funny sensation over his sides...

Wait... is this... tickling?

Resist! Resist! Resist damn it! Come on, Haruka! U have to!

Sakura felt his own thoughts fighting the urge to laugh as mad fingers scurried up his ribcage instantly. He struggled and kicked in reflex, surprisingly arching is back like a flexible sprig when Umemiya skillfully tickled his lower ribs.

"G-gah!" A squawk left him. While Suo and the rest awkwardly saw what was happening, the eye patch guy had to comment, "Oh wow... Sakura-kun are you ticklish?"

Umemiya grinned at that, "Oh, he is... how cute, little bro... but be careful. Your big bro is a biiiig tickle monster!"

Sakura suddenly jolted when Umemiya traced his waist beneath the shirt. The tingling sensation on his bare skin was insane. Its perhaps because Sakura never felt tickling before that he actually felt it like something so strong and unbearable.

How embarassing... he's giggling like a four year old.

"Shihihihihit! Hahahaha, whyhehehe whhhyy hahaha??!" Sakura squirmed, now twisting on his stomach, trying to escape.

Why is this man even tickling him?

"Why?" Umemiya grabbed his sides, pulling him closer to him, "Because you are obviously hiding something from me... aaaand... your are too cute!"

"Dahahahahamn ihihiiiiHIHIHIT! NOHO!" Sakura's laughter kicked an octave when Umemiya traced his armpits - not even tickle - just gentle featherlight tickling he never expected to tickle so much!

But...it feels good... it's the first time someone ever touched him so playfully...

Not cruel jabs that sting like poker sticks or burning hits from harsh punches... just mild subtle ticklish jolts like electric shocks.

"Suo, Nirei, can you grab him for a moment?"

Hearing this, Sakura snapped into reality. Huh? Why? Why are they restraining him?

Suo grabbed his wrists up above his head, the warm concrete floor beneath him, giving his wishes before his doomsday, Nireo sitting on his shins... and Umemiya on the side with a wide grin.

"I would've resorted to other easier methods, but I guess you like being tickeld. Eh Sakura?"

Blush, Sakura yelped, "N-no! Obviously not! Ugh, y-you bastard... and -" Sakura turned to the other three."Are you guys ditching me????"

Suo gives a gentle grin, "Sorry, but you are strong enough to handle this unlike us, plus..." Suo gives a teasing scribble under Sakura's armpit, making the latter jolt in surprise, "Umemiya-san said you like it"

Sakura exploded, "I NEVER SAID THAT -AAAH!"

Umemiya launched his tickles instantly before Sakura could express anything. Sakuta couldn't even focus his priorities as multiple spots are being targeted.

"Saakuraaa~, what's the juicy secret you're keeping from me?"

Gosh... the others guys are supposed to be on his side! Did they all deviate from the plot just to mess with Sakura? Unbelievable!

Sakura panicked with a squeak when Umemiya kept lingering around his stomach. He felt a plunging sensation in his gut as Umemiya poked his naval.

"D-Doho nohohot pohohohoke thahahat!" Sakura shrieked, now bucking himself tryinf to shake them off but they all remained resilient.

"Wow, Sakura-san, you really are sensitive" Nirei unconsciously squeezed his kneecaps making it worst despite his feigned innocence.

Sugishita watched with an unreadable expression his face was so judgemental, and Sakura hoped it didn't mean 'cute' to the taller guy.

Suo leaned towards Umemiya now, not even bothering to lower his voice through Sakura's booming laughter, "His armpits seem pretty sensitive too, boss"

It's bad... though Sakura has never been tickled before, his alert senses are tingling mad. Its bad...!

"Oh...?" Umemiya slowly crawled his fingers up the boney ribs and finally into the light muscular armpits, "Here? Is Sakura sensitive under there?"

Squeal. To say Sakura let out such an embarrassing sound was not a lie. He wanted to crawl it yo a rock and die right now for making such an absurd noise like a squeal.

"EEEEEH! NOOO! IHIHIHI GIVE I GIVE HAHAHA SLOHOHOHOW DOHOHOWN!"

"Ehh? Already? Wow, that didn't take long?" Suo teased, and Umemiya winked back, stopping gradually as he persisted, "Tell me, kid~"

"Ahahahahaha ohoohohohok ohohohok! Ihihihits yohohour duhuhuhuhumb plahahahant thehehe ohohone Kohohohotahaha gahahave yahahaha!"

Sakura confessed... all it took was a tickle to his armpits to spill the milk.

Umemiya stopped instantly. Uh oh... all of that may be fun and games but Nirei realised that they were suppose to keep him distracted not make Sakira confess...

Umemiya sigh, scratching the back of his head, "Well I wanted to make Sakura confess about liking to be tickled... I almost forgot why I started this..." he smiled now ruffling Sakura's messed up hair and his still blushing face flowing more red.

"Well im glad you kept your comradeship safe sweet brother" Umemiya grinned.

Sakura blushed to the tips of his ears, huffing, "Not like I did anythjnf but be a victim..."

It was all OK...

"So... what's this about my plant?"

Or... It wasn't

"Did I hear you say it was Kotoha's plant?" Umemiya's smile darkened, sweet to bitter ...its bad now.

Sakura gulped but suo being the rescuer instantly grabbed everyone and scurried away before the leader of Borfurin could catch up.

Sakura couldn't say he hated his day but he really wondered what happened to the tomato plant Hiragi said he was gonna replace...

No one will know the depths Hajime Umemiya would go to cherish what Kotoha gave him.

Sakura shivered... a bigger tickle monster is lurking inside the leader.

The end was rushed, ik! Ik! It came too cute, too, so the plot was messy! Sorryyyyy my badddd also don't blame me! It's so late, and I'm hyper from caffeine! Byeee

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

I was gonna elaborate last night, but then fell asleep lolol

Something that I actually talked about in the past (and damn do I wish I had some of the old blog stuff lol), but I think the point I'm making is that Nuala and Cerridwen are really not tangible characters in the series.

Nuala and Cerridwen have been in the series for over five and a half books - and still, we don't know anything about them. The moments that we do have with them are all in service or in servitude. It isn't enough that they are spy-masters, they also just randomly choose to also pick up occupations as maids. Think about it like this - we've known Emerie for one (and a half) books and she has more personality than we've ever seen from Nuala and Cerridwen - and although I argue that Emerie is not treated well (in fandom spaces) and is victim of bad writing, she still is talked about as an actual character. Go look through the Nuala and Cerridwen tags, look at the way they are commonly drawn, how they are characterized, and what positions they are most commonly depicted (spoiler: its always in service).

And even within the story, they aren't considered fully-fledged members of the Inner Circle, they don't have conversations with other members, and even though Azriel is the leader I can't think of any conversations they've had together. When Rhys gives his little end-game speech, he doesn't stop and thank Nuala and Cerridwen for their loyalty through those fifty years. Rhys doesn't even seem to have anything more than a professional relationship with them. They are very much treated like employed maids who work for the Inner Circle.

"I'm so excited for Elain's friendship with N+C! They're gonna match Azriel with Elain!"

Yeah...okay. Even the Valkyries weren't that invested in Nesta's relationship with Cassian. I think there's a yearning to recreate a dynamic similar to the Valkyries, because its the first time we've seen a friendship group between women in this series. I also think there's this rush to claim the same for Elain and Nuala and Cerrdwen - yet its very elain-centric, and the they seem to just be reiterating a very handmaiden-esque dynamic. I also think its VERY weird that so much energy is put into how N+C "really brought out of her depression" yet they were imprisoned over fifty years UTM and yet we've never seen them be vulnerable about that experience. Why can't elain comfort them? Why isn't it both ways? Why doesn't the story or stans point out how they've gotten better? Its just like a lot to unpack. Like the optics of these women of color being these eager handmaidens and then having that dynamic pushed as friendship is kinda?????????????

[darlingshane]

plateau

Jack Harper x F!Reader

Summary: Your relationship with Jack has reached a point where it feels like it's going nowhere. You're not sure what to do anymore to break through that wall he's put up. On a bad day, you decide just to give up altogether. If he's not willing to make an effort so aren't you.

CW: SPOILERS, heavy angst, drama, mention of child neglect, mention of harassment, mention of past relationships, snap judgments, smoking, heartbreak, but HOPEFUL ENDING, I swear.

LONG A/N: Yeah, you've read it right. I wrote a fic for Jack before the show comes out. I think I have enough insight from the book and the details I've found about the show to mix and match a story for him.

I kept some things from the book that are going to change in the show like Jack's niece. She's younger and has a different name in the book that I liked better, so I went with that version instead. Everyone is a little shitty on this story, including reader and Jack, which is on par with the book. And this is written in a similar way the book is. The first half is from reader's pov, and the other half from Jack's pov.

Word Count: 4,1k

— Links: AO3 // Masterlist

It's dark, windy, downright pouring like hell when you head out the door after clocking out of the inn you work at.

Opening your umbrella, you walk against the wind towards the corner that leads to the parking lot. A car passes by fast on your side, driving carelessly over a big puddle that splashes your legs. You turn back and flip him off, but the car is too far gone to see you.

When you bend the corner, you glance around to find his car. It's hidden behind an SUV, and you don't see it until two beams of headlights flash at you twice.

You rush in that direction, trying to avoid getting soaked, but it's impossible. By the time you reach the passenger door, the wind has made sure to push as much water as it could in your direction,

Drenched head to toe, you close the umbrella and climb into the car, yanking the door close as hard as you can.

“Fuck.” You toss the umbrella to the backseat.

“Good evening to you too, sweetheart,” he scoffs behind the wheel.

“Sorry. Just one of these days, you know?”

“Anything I can do?” Jack extends a hand to caress your cold neck. His palm is warm against your skin, collecting the raindrops that fell on you.

“Just take me home. I can't do this right now.”

“Are you sure?”

Without answering, you open Jack's glove box and find that pack of smokes he keeps at the back. He's tried to quit many times but keeps this one here from when the urge arises. You're not a smoker per se, but today you could really use one to calm yourself.

You stick one cigarette between your lips and reach out to the inside pocket of the jacket he's wearing to find a silver zippo lighter.

“Help yourself.”

Lighting it up, you take a long drag and hang your head back against the headrest, letting the smoke intoxicate your lungs before expelling it through your lips.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No. Not really.” You offer him a puff, and he hesitates for a second before picking the cigarette between your fingers.

“Why not?”

“Cause I don't wanna burden you. Besides, this works better if we don't talk, right? That's what you said.”

“I didn't mean it like that.” He passes the cigarette back to you.

“It's fine, Jack. Just drive.”

He tilts his head to the side, staring ahead at the mass of water pelting on the windshield with rage. The sky is violently struck by a massive lightning bolt, outlining in a blue electric shade the mountains that paint the landscape of Dahlonega.

You're sure he wants to protest or even explain what he meant, but he never does. Everything just hangs in the air between you two as usual. It's what you've come to know about Jack Harper. This is transactional for both, an escape from your miserable lives. But right now, this feels just as pathetic. You hate hiding like this, like you're a hooker he has to take to some clandestine dark nook around town to do unspeakable things. He's been divorced for two years and is still afraid of showing you around town, so people don't come to any assumptions. And you hate that. There was a time when you'd find yourself thinking this could become real some day. But it never comes. Your relationship has reached a plateau and if he's not willing to move up higher, then you'd have to move on without him… Eventually. There are things in your life that are keeping you from making that leap. Right now, being in this fixed place feels somewhat safe, even if it isn't where you want to be. Spending time with him, however that looks or means, is better than nothing.

Despite all that, you have bigger problems in your life than Jack being a dormant lover. One of them being your ex constantly harassing you to no end. Mostly via phone. But today he reached a new level of psycho when he showed up in the middle of your shift to ask you for money. He put you in a very difficult situation where you had to give him what you had in your wallet in exchange for him not making a scene. He also threatened you with plastering the building you work at with compromising photos he took of you when you were together. It was probably a mistake to bend up so easily to his extortion antics. You know that this would serve as precedent for him to do the same bit again. And you can't afford that.

Jack has made it clear before that he's not looking for that kind of relationship where you can freely confide in the other. He knows your ex is an asshole, but he has no idea to what degree. And right now, you wish you could tell him, cause you're running out of ideas to keep that fucking dumbass away.

The car veers through the streets, carefully moving under the unwavering storm. The old wipers whine against the glass, exerting themselves to keep the view unobstructed. Inside the car, there's nothing but a heavy silence, broken only by the thunderous roar of the rainstorm. On a night like this, you'd usually drive to your spot in the woods behind the train station or go to that motel in Gainesville if you can, it's always worth the drive. But tonight he's taking you home and doesn't press further on why you've chosen that. Sometimes you wish you could just yell at him, tell him you're drowning, and you're sick of him treating you like garbage, but you won't. Instead, a knot forms in your throat, bottling up all those words that are making your body hurt inside and out. You don't expect him to magically cure any of your imaginary ailments. You just want him to be willing to listen sometimes. That's all you need.

“You could come in, you know? Maybe stay the night?” you suggest when the car pulls up in front of your place, situated in the middle of a row of townhouses that look identical.

“Can't. I gotta check Zoe hasn't burned down the house.”

“How would she do that?”

“Pfft, you name it. Sometimes she leaves the stove on, or falls asleep with a cigarette lit on the couch. Came home once to find one of those hair curling sticks plugged, burning over a towel.”

“Hm, sounds like a handful.”

“I'd bring you with me, but—“

“She hates my guts. I know.”

It's not news to you that Zoe Harper despises you. You went to school with her at St. Hilary's Academy, and the two of you never got along. She was part of the mean clique along with Jack's ex-wife, Anna. Everyone was a target to them, including you. Zoe in particular still has a big hate boner against you, cause she never grew up out of that phase. Even in her thirties with a toddler, she's incapable of letting go of the fact that one of her ex-boyfriends in high school dated you after breaking up with her. She blamed it on you, of course, though you never met him after the fact. Just like your ex, she harassed you until the end of the school year, spreading unbelievable rumors about you. Luckily, everyone knew that was their shtick, and no one ever believed the insane lies that came out of her mouth.

“Is that why you're sleeping with me? To piss your sister off?” You can't help but wonder.

“No, she doesn't know about us. It doesn't take much to piss her off, so I'd be pretty dumb to go through all this trouble when I could just hide her glue gun.”

“Right. Do you think there'd be a time when you could stay? Or go on a date with me during the day?”

“Why are you asking me this now?” He deadpans.

“I don't know, Jack. I'm just wondering. I like you. You seem to like me. These are normal questions people have when they like someone, but I'm guessing from your expression that I have it all wrong.”

Silence. Again.

The man is a wall you can tear down, and you’re not sure why you still try or why you even care the slightless about him when he’s clearly signaling this is nothing but sex to him.

Your phone interrupts that unnerving stillness when it starts blasting a string of messages. Your ex. Probably drunk-texting the usual repertoire about how much of a bitch you are, as if he didn’t have enough with what he did earlier.

You glance down at the phone in your palm, reading the last troubling text he sent, and dare to ask, “say, hypothetically, if someone was harassing you, do you make an appointment with the police, or should someone just show up and report it at the station? How much evidence do you need?”

“What? Is someone harassing you?” He finally responds.

“No, it was just a hypothetical. Indulge me, just for fun.”

“Okay, if someone was being harassed for sure they should go report it. Guess depends on a few factors. You’d need to present proof of a relationship to the respondent, evidence whether it is physical, threats, stalking, harassment… You’d need an explanation of why you believe you’re in immediate danger to issue a temporary restraining order. Wouldn’t hurt to consult a lawyer, either.”

“That’s what I thought. Thanks.” You say curtly, grabbing your bag and tucking your phone inside.

“Is this what’s worrying you today?”

“No,” you shake your head as you reach for the door handle.

“Should I pick you up tomorrow?”

“No. I don’t think you should. Unless you change your mind about staying one night, you shouldn’t come around anymore, Jack. Take care,” you find yourself saying, rushing to leave the car at once. The way you shut the door serves as a period to a chapter that's run on for too long.

Now that you've said it, It’s definite. If he’s going to give you nothing but silence, then you’re not going to waste your time anymore.

Jack hangs his head down after watching you enter your house. There's nothing that he'd love more than to chase you and stay with you, but there's something inside that's keeping him from it. The fear of letting you down and screwing another relationship paralyzes him. That's why he's stunned every time you make an attempt to move forward with this. He has no doubt you'd be better off without him, so he'd rather let you down now than further down the line.

As he drives home, he can't get out of his obtuse mind the way your face changed when you looked at your phone and the hypothetical question that you presented him. You wouldn't be asking if it wasn't real, he believes. Maybe it's for you or for a friend, but he doesn't plan on letting that fall through the cracks like everything else in his life. If someone is harassing you, he can't turn a blind eye and let you get hurt or worse. So, he pins that thought to check on later. Though you've asked him to stay away, he can't disappear without knowing that you're okay.

By the time he parks on the driveway of his childhood home, it's stopped raining. He captures the TV glow through the window before heading inside.

His sister has passed out on the couch as usual watching one of those reality channels. Luckily, no cigarette in hand but a handful of empty beer cans clutter the coffee table between her array of supplies she uses for crafting. When he finds the remote, he switches the TV off and heads upstairs.

There's another light coming from the cracked door of Olivia's room when he climbs the staircase to the second floor. He pushes the door open to find his almost three-year-old niece having a party with her stuffies in the rug.

“Uncle Jack!” The little girl beams when he sees his face.

“What are you still doing up, lil bug?” he smiles, crouching down to hug her.

“I was hungry.”

“You didn't have dinner?”

She shakes her head, “mommy fell asleep.”

It's hard not to think badly of her sister when she does shit like this. He abstains from being judgmental, but tonight, he can't help it. All she has to do is take care of Olivia. She has no job besides selling cheap jewelry and clothes that almost nobody wants. What else is keeping her from meeting her daughter's basic needs? Really. It doesn't make sense to him. Her immaturity never left her, even after having a baby she still acts like a fifteen-year old. Some people don't deserve to be parents, and Zoe is one of them.

If it wasn't for Olivia, he wouldn't put up with Zoe's crap like he does.

He takes her downstairs and whips out something quick for her to eat. In a plate, he puts some chopped baby carrots, crackers, and cheese so she can snack while he fries some fish sticks and mixes some instant mashed potatoes. To be honest, he's not sure how much a toddler should eat at night, but he's going to let her have what she wants cause he's not sure when was the last time she had a full meal.

Olivia seems happy with his choices. She'd be a picky eater if she wasn't so hungry. She quickly devours everything he puts on her plate.

After dinner, Zoe is still deeply asleep in the same place while he helps Olivia to brush her teeth with her tiny brush he bought her the other day. It has a unicorn on the handle, which she adores.

When brushing time is done, he reads her a book and watches her fall asleep in record time.

Spending time with Olivia is lovely. It's such a beautiful picture, his heart aches for that part of him he lost. He was more than ready to be a dad, always hands on when he needed to during those short months she was on this earth.

With the weight of the world quickly settling on top of his shoulders, he retreats back to his room to see if he can put himself together the same way. He takes a shower and shaves the stubble on his face before slipping into bed. He closes his eyes, but after an hour, sleep seems to elude him. Something makes his stomach turn, and not because he's hungry. It's something else entirely. It's a gut feeling that tells him something is going on with you, and you’re not willing to tell him because he's kept you at an arm's length. God, he's such an asshole, he thinks as he flips on the bed to check the time on his phone.

It's late. But not terribly late to correct a mistake.

Jack quickly puts on some clothes without thinking, grabs his keys and phone to pay you a visit.

He makes sure Olivia's still asleep before heading out the door. Zoe is awake now on the couch, watching TV. She barely glances at him or acknowledges his presence when he lies to her, telling her that he was called to the station, that he’d probably be out all night.

The streets are empty and still soaked in a thick layer of water from the storm. He allows himself to drive a little faster now that he can.

Following another light, he knows you’re still up by the yellow glow filtering behind the curtains of one of the windows. He pulls up in the empty driveway of your house, and uses his phone to text you, typing he’s outside.

Jack waits for a minute before seeing the curtains move to show your face. He waves timidly and beckons you to meet him at the door.

“What are you doing here, Jack?”

“I thought about what you said and… Can we talk inside?”

“Are you sure? What would the neighbors say if they saw you here?” You mock him with annoyance in your tone. “Cause if Mrs. Greer sees you spending more than two minutes here, she’ll get the wrong idea. And you know how fast news travels around here.”

“Please? I just need a minute.”

Exhaling, you step backwards and open the door wider to let him in.

The TV is on when he enters the living room, and he's taken aback upon seeing the face of his ex-wife on the screen in the news segment she anchors at WSK.

“You don't have to say it. I'm pathetic.” You scoff, turning it off.

“You're not pathetic,” he's quick to reply.

“You know, I get it. She's smart and pretty, and everything I'd never be. I wouldn't blame you if you were still hung up on her. It'd explain a lot.”

It breaks his heart seeing you like this. Anna is part of his past that he’s definitely not looking to revisit. He’s not sure what you’re yet, but he’d never want you to think that you're anything less than amazing. That’s his fault for drawing this out.

“It's not that, sweetheart. I just think you deserve better than this, than me… I'm screwed up. I don't have anything to offer you right now. I know it, she knows it, too.” He vaguely gestures at the now-black flat screen, and pauses. “You think you want me, but you don't. It'll pass.”

“That's such s lame cop out. Why does every guy in my life think they know what I want or need better than me, huh? It's my choice to ruin my life if I want to. You don't get to decide. If you don't wanna be with me, that's fine, but don't say it's because I don't know what I want. Do you know what you want, Jack?”

His chin nods gently, staring down for a beat.

“Then say it.” You press him, folding your arms against your stomach. “You came back to talk, so talk.”

“It wouldn't work out between us.”

“That's not what I asked.”

Jack clears his throat. “It's not that simple.”

“Good things never are.” You keep hitting the ball into his side of the court.

“Fine! You win, okay?” His voice raises up, as all those unsaid secrets find a way out of his chest. “I can't stop thinking about you. Best thing in my life right now is when I get to pick you up and spend that little time together, and it's never enough. And I don't know how to do this anymore, how to be with someone. I don't wanna hurt you. And I can’t let my guard down again… what happened the last time… it can’t happen again…”

You see him choking up, overcome with emotion, as he trails off.

“Jack.” You bring your hands up to cup his jaw in your palms.

You open your mouth to say something else, but now it's you that gets to be speechless, so you just pull his face close, so his forehead falls on top of yours. He closes his eyes, and you close yours, letting the circling of your thumbs sooth the freshly-shaved skin of his cheeks. There’s really nothing you can say to ease the pain that he still harbors.

“It's okay,” you say after a long minute. “We don't have to rush into anything. We'll figure it out as we go. I just need you to talk to me, Jack. Just once in a while. You think we could do that? Be honest with each other?”

“Yeah, I think so,” he exhales, letting a small part of that heaviness he carries evaporate in the open space.

When he pulls his head back, you open your eyes as he places a kiss on your forehead, before locking his arms around you. His nose captures the scent of your hair while you tuck your arms around his torso.

Now that the air seems slightly clearer between you, he relaxes in your embrace for longer than he ever has. It feels like you’re holding him up, instead the other way around.

Something creeps back into his stomach—that uneasy feeling that wouldn’t let him sleep and that brought him to your door. He clears his throat to swallow the bittersweet taste left in his mouth of that sudden confession to change the subject and focus on you instead.

He hesitates to ask, but he has to.

“Hey. Do you think we could start now, being honest, I mean?”

“Sure.” You tilt your head back to capture his gaze.

“What you asked me about earlier in the car when I brought you home about harassing, I know you didn’t just ask for the sake of asking. Is there something going on, sweetheart?”

“Hm, nothing you need to worry about.” Your tone says the opposite as you suddenly pull away from his arms to busy your hands spreading the throw pillows on your couch evenly apart.

“Thought this is what you wanted. To talk.”

“This is not your problem, Jack.”

“That’s where you draw the line? Just cause it’s not my problem doesn’t mean I can’t help. I can see you’re scared, so—please, make it my problem.”

He watches you sigh with heaviness as you put the pillow in your hands down before grabbing your phone from the table.

After unlocking it and finding the text chain between you and your ex, you hand the phone to Jack so he can see for himself.

“Holy shit.”

He scrolls, dumbfounded, through a one-sided alarming thread of messages that are made of threats, degrading insults, intimidation, blackmail… You hardly ever reply unless he threatens you to do so.

“Have you tried blocking him?”

“Of course, I've tried. He shows up here if I do so. He likes to know that I read all the shit he sends. He gets off on it. He showed up today at work and I had to give him money so he'd go.”

This is more serious than he initially thought. He has to pull his eyes away from the screen after skimming roughly through over 50 messages that seem to keep going.

“You shouldn't have put this off. You could've easily got a restraining order with half of these.”

“I mean, he's never hurt me. At least there's that. He's like one of those dogs. He's all bark.”

“Yet.” Jack remarks. “He hasn't hurt you yet. What's this thing about a picture?”

“What do you think? I was stupid. I let him take pictures of me, you know… intimate pictures. Now he's saying he's going to put them all over town, so everyone can see what a slut I am.”

“You're not stupid, sweetheart. C'mere. Let's sit.” His hand points at the couch where you sit.

He lowers his backside on top of the coffee table in front of you.

“Keep these.” He puts your phone between your palms. “Tomorrow, we'll go to the station and you'll show them. I'll check with the inn, see if I can have access to the security feed.”

“Okay.”

“This is what you wanna do, right?”

You waver. “I suppose so. I just wish he'd leave me alone.”

“You gave him money. He's not going to leave you alone anytime soon now that he knows he can twist your arm like that.”

“I'm sorry I made it your problem.”

“Don't apologize. I asked you to.”

“So, what now?”

He tiredly shrugs his shoulders. “Guess we just wait and see what happens tomorrow.”

“Will you go in with me?”

“Yeah, don't worry. You're not doing this alone.” He gently cradles your hands in his palms, drawing soothing circles on your skin with his thumbs.

This is progress. It's scary, but it's a step in the right direction. He can't stay stuck red living the same day as in Groundhog Day. That's not living. This is it, holding you in his hands seems so simple yet so incredible.

Jack shifts in his seat on the table to sit next to you on the couch. His arms hold you closely as you search in his mouth something to put you at ease. He can't tell by the way your lip trembles that you're just as terrified. Perhaps not of this, you and him, but from that other situation you find yourself in. He provides a much necessary relief in the way his tongue gently massages yours. One of his hands is drawn under the hem of your top to find the warmth of your skin. It makes your hair stick out when the feather-light gliding of his fingers moves across the length of your backbone.

— credits: beautiful divider by @bernardsbendystraws

[imaginethezeldaverse]

The Desert's Moon (Ganondorf x Reader) (NSFW)

Welcome, welcome to the 100 follower fic I set all those polls for! You all chose and waited so patiently, so please allow me to give you the winner: a good fic with our big bad guy, Ganondorf (Tears of the Kingdom version). This will be nsfw, and just to be safe, be wary of any spoilers below the cut, okay? For this fic I'm running with an idea that was dropped in my inbox - initially I had planned to make it a simple headcanon post, but since he won, I'm writing it as a full blown fic instead. Thank you all for voting, it sincerely means a lot, I cannot believe even more of you have followed me since then. The comments and appreciation from you all truly makes my day. 🥹 As for the theme: you are inexperienced (we'll even say virginal) and Ganondorf here is going to be your first. Let's explore that together, shall we? Reader is gender neutral for all to enjoy. I sniped some fictional Gerudo language from here because I mean Ganondorf is a Gerudo man...he definitely should be able to speak the language.

Ganondorf is intimidating, this much is true. His demeanor exudes power in all things he does: fight, lead, and even fuck. He's had many a partner, his skills as a lover growing with each encounter of his past. He is not unfamiliar with experienced partners - and he will show you the patience and slowness you deserve.

The key is for you to be honest with him. Should you try to front as though you are experienced in sex, just know that he can see right through you. Ganondorf's read on body language is exceptional - so the slight shake in your body or the quiver in your voice is an immediate alert to him that you aren't what you're trying to portray yourself as. To your benefit however, he'll most likely find this cute. You attempting to be brave and take him head on is adorable, even though you have no idea what you'd be getting into (or really what would be getting into you). Being upfront however is not without its loss - you'd gain his respect and potentially a chance to call him an equal, he likes the idea of a long-term partner who can be honest with themselves as well as him.

For a man of his size and status, he's quite gentle. He offers to hold you first in your nudity, get you used to feeling his body against yours. Ganondorf will most likely seat you in his lap, with your legs splayed open over the length of his hips and thighs. Should you shy away or find yourself embarrassed by the less than polite way you're sat on him, he'll simply chuckle, reiterating that this is to acclimate you. His hands will find a place on your thighs, unmoving, but present. "Touch me anywhere you'd like," he offers, the rich amber of his eyes meeting your own. Setting the pace in your favor will help ease some of your apprehension. Your hands explore the planes of his body: his adept, powerful hands; the sizable, muscular curvatures of his forearms and biceps; over the thickened bands of his shoulders and down to the broad expanse of his chest. He's a mountainous man in size and that alone has you a tiny bit afraid, but you also can't deny that being able to trace your fingertips over the patterned tattoos that stretch across his muscles doesn't elate you.

When your hands finally cup the wide angles of his jaw, you find the pluck to once more lock eyes with the Gerudo chief. There's something unreadable swimming in them: whether it's tenderness or restraint you aren't wholly sure. His arm wraps around your lower back, bring you ever closer to him in a swift push. Your hands remain on his face, lips inching closer. Ganondorf doesn't kiss you. No, he wants you to be the one to take the honor of taking the first step. The world talks of his lust and greed for power, and make no mistake, the rumors are very much true. But this - intimacy with you - Ganondorf knows better than to rush. Taking you by force serves him little, and there is humanity in him still that bars him from wanting any harm to come to you. To feel your body yearn for him willingly only makes that much sweeter. Your breaths mingle momentarily, your heart pounding in your chest until you finally take the plunge and seal the gap. You're chaste in your kiss, timidity holding your tongue. No matter, the sensation of his thick digits roaming over the curve of your ass has you gasping enough against his mouth for him to coax you into a deeper kiss. Unbeknownst to you, your head tilts naturally, angling so that you can continue the kiss comfortably. You let go of his face, your fingers sliding into his long vermillion locks. There's a sound vibrating at the back of his throat that hits your ears so pleasantly - the simple soothing sensation of your hands in his hair delights him, so naturally he wants you to know it. The kiss builds heat, your body slowly beginning to want his hands to move beyond your backside. You lean into him, pressing your chest to his and linking your arms around his neck. The smile that curls his lips upward is something you can feel, and you almost smile back - but his hands that have now occupied a space on your hips are dragging your body over his lap. Ganondorf parts from your mouth, watching you bite your lip as he slowly grinds you over what you realize is his length beginning to grow rigid beneath you. Breaths slowly starting to come in shudders you snap your eyes shut, focusing on how his length slides teasingly over where you biologically know he's going to be soon enough.

"Do you feel me?" he purrs, dark tiger eyes trained on your flushed features, "Do you feel my want for you? My desire?" Your thighs are seeking one another to lock this feeling between them, but his hulking mass keeps them widely separated - your center at the mercy of his ministrations. Seeking purchase, your nails dig into his shoulders, earning a pleased rumble from the man. His lips find the hollow of your throat, easing pointed kisses and gentle bites to your sensitive flesh. Soft moans sound angelic to Ganondorf's ears; with ease he lifts you into his arms, your legs still very much wrapped as best as possible around his torso. Smooth, crimson silks caress your back as you're laid across the stretch of his bed. He doesn't stop kissing your body, only proceeds to move down it. Your collarbone, your nipples, the softness of your stomach: all places his lips tease and touch. He drinks your whines and whimpers in as though starving, an innate need to hear your voice call out to him ever growing. Still, he keeps slow. Rough finger pads glide down your body, stroking and fondling a pathway until he settles on his knees, with your legs splayed open by the sheer width of him. Those kisses that traveled now dot their way from your knee and inward. Your breath hitches, you know where he's going...you desperately want him there. As he reaches closer and closer, you shudder out, "P-Please...Gan..." Those initially amber slits, now ochre with hunger, slide up to see your face. Your cheeks are stained with reddish hues with your chest rising and falling faster than before.

"Is there something you need?" the timbre in his voice makes somewhere your stomach clench. How is it just his voice makes you feel this way? What kind of spell has he cast on you? Though your mind tries to wrack itself with answers, it always circles back to the lips that are nipping at your inner thighs. He places a kiss just close enough for you to feel his breath over your sex and you swallow thick with the gasp that tries to free itself.

"Your...mouth..." says you in a shaky whine, "Please..."

Like satin and fire, his chuckle is both suave but with the promise of something vile. A strong grip parts your legs further, holding you wide open. You try desperately not to look at how he drinks your nudeness in, fearing that you seeing the sheer lust flashing across his strong features will have you curl into yourself.

His mouth descends.

You gasp sharply.

Hot and wet is his tongue against your opening, circling your responsive flesh, his eyes never leaving your face. Ganondorf watches on as his silver tongue devours you, each lap and suck at you surging pleasure through your limbs. With one last scoop at your hole, he drew back. There was a question at your lips when you felt him retreat, but before you could even get a word out, you felt his finger carefully slide into you.

"A-Ah!" you mewled, then hissed. Given the size of him overall, even his fingers were substantial in filling you somewhat.

"Shhhhh," Ganondorf hushed your seizing frame. A hand came to your thigh, his thumb stroking in soothing circles the same time his opposite finger exited you, "Relax, my va'ina, you'll need to be much more open if you plan to take me." Your body shudders as you breathe, willing yourself to relax yourself in his ministrations. Having already gave you some slickness there, his finger meets less resistance than normal. His eyes roam your figure slowly, watching all of the small shivers and shakes that begin to build as his digit steadily works in and out of you. A spark of want pulses up your hips, with each coax of his finger you felt tiny rivulets of desire multiply inside you.

"Ganondorf..." came your gentle plea. This feeling was slowly starting to feel inadequate, your hips moving ever so slightly to try and chase the sensation of fullness. Chuckling at your urgency, the Gerudo chieftain withdraws his finger - adding another and sliding back into you. Eyelashes aflutter, you mewl at the sensation of being filled once more.

"There we are," he mused, smirking at the way you're snatching your bottom lip between your teeth. Gradually his fingers stretched you open, separating minutely as he fed your body each stroke. As soon as you had acclimated, you found yourself once again needing more. His hand, though making you feel good, was simply proving not to be enough. Ganondorf recognizes this as your features scrunch with some frustration. You need him, don't you? You need more than just two measly fingers to give you the passion that you seek.

"Your body seeks more than my current attentions I see," he says matter-of-factly, withdrawing his now very wet digits.

You turn your head away to blush, being read like an open book made your body burn with some embarrassment. Yet Ganondorf understood. He lifts your leg by your calf, pressing a kiss into the muscle there. "No worry, I'll give you everything you seek." He sits upright now, towering over your supine frame, a hand at each of your knees. You know what comes next, and though you tremble under him, there's a fire in those eyes of his that keeps you brave. Fingers descend upon his. He catches your gaze, doe-like and nervous, but no sign of withdrawal within them.

"You'll go slow, won't you?" you ask him, your heart mere seconds away from jumping out of your chest. There's an expectation for him to laugh at such an innocent, if not naïve question - but he surprises you when his hand takes your chin between two large fingers and keeps your eyes to his. Softness unlike you've ever seen in him stares back at you. "I wouldn't dream of bringing you harm, va'ina, you're safe with me." His words bring you comfort, allowing you shut your eyes in readied bliss. To reflect this, you spread your legs further apart, "Then I am yours, Ganondorf."

His lips find yours, hungry in its kiss. As his tongue melds against yours, he slips a hand down to grasp himself. You feel the slight shift of his body on yours, strong thighs flush to the backs of yours. He parts from the kiss, though his face remains close, "Ready?" Unable to trust your voice, you simply nod. His muscular frame surrounds your body, encasing you in his warmth. With your hands braced on his shoulders, you inhale sharply when he presses into you. Considerable length and girth stretch you far more than his fingers could even attempt. He's slow, methodical in his pace. So much so that he stops, just past the head of him, the second you tense in his arms.

"Breathe..." coaches Ganondorf, his voice showing the tiniest hint of strain. Though shaky, you try to follow his advice, and it calms your body enough for him to advance. Your mouth drops open from the pressure, hands gripping his shoulders for purchase as another inch fills you. The man above pecks loving kisses to your face as he sneaks a hand downward. He revels in the pleased gasp you let out when his fingers stroke your sex, "That's it...open up for me..." With him steadily plunging into your depths and the deliberate tease of his hand at your most sensitive area, you recognize that same spark from earlier.

Want. Need.

He slides in further still, about at halfway down the whole of him now. His hand doesn't relent on your flesh, easing over you with the intent to build the ecstasy he knows you're absentmindedly chasing. Ganondorf has every intention to bring you to rapture, but again - at your pace. There's a tremor in your thighs that shakes against his hips, he gives you more of him; but the noise you let out this time is a moan muffled only by the barrier of your bitten lip. He grins at this, supply your body with just a bit more. No reaction this time - you were getting used to him. His fingers stroke you for a few more counts, this being just enough for you to take him all the way to the hilt. You keen slightly, so impossibly full and almost dizzy from how overwhelmingly large he feels inside of you.

"Stay with me, love" he whispers, his opposite thumb stroking your cheek. The deep octave of his voice and the tender caress soothe you enough to lean into his touch. Ganondorf captures your lips once more, this kiss slower than the last. His hips remain still though his tongue ravages your mouth, and it pulls a licentious moan from you; the knowledge of him locked deep inside you as he kisses you so fervently has you yearning for what you know you want most. His mouth moves into your neck, and without hesitation your fingers bury into his fiery mane. There's a slight withdrawal of his hips, and you welcome the feeling now, the minor shift of friction feeding into a feeling at the most basic level of your instincts.

"More," your quivered voice speaks in his ear, "P-Please."

He's touched at your politeness, though it's unnecessary. You are a being to be worshipped in this regard, though you didn't realize it, you would never need to beg from him. Touching his forehead to your own, Ganondorf rumbles deep in his chest, pulling almost all of the way out of you before sliding all the way back in. "Nnngh, yes..." Ah, all he needed to hear. Adept hands place themselves at two points: a fist near your head for steadying, and a hand bracing underneath your back to keep you there. Leisurely, shallow thrusts easily evolved into deep, harder strokes. Your body would transform - blossom from tightly wound and tense to fully open and wanting.

The Gerudo male knows you're fully spellbound by your lovemaking when your nails begin to bite into the muscle of his shoulder blades - a most welcome pinch of pain. He's fully working you into you now, his hips immovable pistons to fuck you fully now. Your sweet and soft moans were climbing in crescendo, his name tumbling in slurred syllables off your honey covered tongue. Unable to stop himself now, Ganondorf growled into the junction of your neck and shoulder, pulling your body as flush to him as he could.

"Ah, ohh, mmf! Ahhhh G-Gan," you whined, clinging to him, "My body's on fire...I nghh I...!"

He feels you tightening around him, his pants are harsh as they dampen your skin, "Let it happen...let me have all of you." With only a few strokes of him you fall apart in a scream, your body winding up impossibly tight and then loosening entirely. The orgasmic pulse of your slickness around him milks him with an ungodly grip. He fucks you as fast as your body will allow, a few resounding claps against your flesh combining with the cries of your slight overstimulation that finally bring him to his own end. His strong fingers dig into you as he cums, hot and fast, in a wildly indecent roar. Your hands hold him in his place on your body, welcoming every drop of the licentious liquid that he spills inside of you. His hips begin to slow, still sliding in and out of your now sopping hole, and though you were already long finished, you moan at the sensation of his cock pulsing and feeding your body even now.

When he finally can take no more, he pulls from you entirely in a rough grunt. You feel the weeping of his seed from your entrance, but you are far too exhausted to care. Your body hums in pleasured bliss, but your limbs, so worn from a use you'd yet to experience until today, feel akin to lead. Never an issue, however, as Ganondorf carefully maneuvers you both so you can rest comfortably: with you at his side. His fingers traced the curves and lines of your body in silence, your hand and head rest at his chest.

"Gan...?" your voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes lazily move to you. Your heart flutters with candid bravery, "...I love you."

He smiles at this. Fitting words for a connection as deep as this. His hand covers your head, pressing you closer to his chest in a protective maneuver. Ganondorf is anything but vulnerable...but even a man as mighty as he isn't incapable of feeling.

"You have my heart, va'ina. You are mine as I am yours."

You hum contentedly, happy to fall asleep in the arms of the man who loved you.

[crazyunsexycool]

A love as sweet as honey

Prologue

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word count: 2.6k

Warnings: Sad Steve, Crying Steve, Lottie being cute, not much else

A/N: Here we go!! This is set in the My Little Love universe The rest of the story will be updated once My Little Love is completed so there aren't any spoilers. Timeline wise this prologue happens during chapter 30 of My little love and characters from that series will play a part in this one.

Series Masterlist

The tower loomed over the street. It glistened in the light of day, a beacon that called out to you. Everyone rushed around as you stared up at your new place of employment. With a deep breath you make your way into the building. It was odd to be in the middle of the city at the Avengers’ tower. The initial job offer mentioned working upstate at the compound. You had even started looking for a place closer to it. It didn’t matter either way to you as long as you had the job.  

“Hello. It’s my first day and I was told to ask for Dr. Banner.” You told the receptionist that sat by the elevators. 

“Name?” 

“Y/N Y/L/N.” 

She types your name into the computer.

“I need to see an identification.” She smiled and held her hand out as you dug through your bag. 

She grabs it to verify your information and adds something in the system. Then she grabs the phone and calls someone down. 

“You can wait to the side someone will be right with you.” She says as she hands you back your ID. “Have a great day and welcome to Stark Industries.” 

You mutter a thanks and move to the side of her desk. She was much too chipper for your taste but maybe that was why she worked as a receptionist. There are not a lot of people around the lobby but there are a few guards dressed in full on armor. You’d been to the lobby of the tower in the past and it hadn’t been this empty before. As you wait for whoever is coming you can’t help but anxiously fiddle with your pearl necklace. The elevator dings open and out comes a man in a black suit, slightly curly but short hair. His facial hair frames his smile as he comes up to you. 

“Dr. Y/L/N correct?” He asks as he stops in front of you.

“Depends on who you are?” You eyed him suspiciously.

He chuckles. “I’m Happy Hogan, head of security. Why don’t you follow me and I’ll get you all set up with the proper clearance and work ID. Then I’ll take you up to the lab. If you are in fact Dr. Y/L/N.”

“Lead the way.” 

“Excited for your first day?” He asked as you got into the elevator. Not really bothered by your standoffish attitude.

“Yup.” 

He nods. “Many people apply for those lab jobs but very few get it and even less get to be Banner’s assistant. You should feel proud about it.” 

You give a tight lipped smile. In reality you were ecstatic about this job because word around town was that this position as Bruce Banner’s assistant had been vacant for close to a year. It wasn’t necessarily the work itself but the famous scientist had specific requirements when it came to an assistant. You still didn’t know what they were but you assumed you had whatever it was Bruce Banner needed.

Happy leads you into an office where he proceeds to hand you a temporary badge with the right clearance. Then he takes your picture for your actual badge. He goes over a few general safety protocols and procedures. Finally after what feels like an eternity Happy takes you up another few floors up to where the labs are. 

“Good luck.” Happy says as he knocks on the office door. 

“Dr. Y/L/N it's great to see you again.” Bruce says once he’s opened the door. He waves to Happy as he’s walking down the hallway. “Please come in.” 

You follow him in and take a seat across from him, only his sleek black desk separates you. The office itself is very clean, the walls are so white they almost hurt your eyes and there are barely any knick knacks or photographs lying around. 

“I’m very excited to be working with you.” Bruce says and gives you a small smile. 

“Me too. It’s an honor to be working with you. Still can’t believe I’m here.”

“Well believe it. Your work was very impressive and I’m sure we’ll do great things. Now before I show you your office and work space do you have any questions?” 

“No, I think everything was covered at orientation. But, I get an office?” You perked up. The thought of having a space just for yourself was thrilling. 

“Of course, everyone needs a quiet place to work. It’s attached to a much smaller lab if you have other things you’d like to work on. I insisted on it. I wouldn’t want to limit your own work just because you work with me. And Tony loves to fund new ideas so keep that in mind.” 

You nodded along but were about to burst at the seams that you had such an opportunity. Clearing your throat you ask, “so if there was something I wanted to work on, do I have to ask for permission or present any preliminary research or documents before I can work on it?” 

“Nothing so formal. As long as we know what you’re working on and we’d both like updates on your progress from time to time. Also if you need someone to look over anything or bounce your ideas off of please don’t hesitate to come to us. Other than that you’re free to work on whatever you want. Any possible equipment or materials are at your disposal. But it can’t interfere with our work.”

“Absolutely not.” You shake your head. 

Bruce smiled, seeing the excitement in your eyes. He stands and waves you to follow him. First he shows you to your office where you drop off your bags. Then he lets you look around the small lab that was meant just for you. You roam around and marvel at how well equipped it is even if it’s small. Finally Bruce takes you to his lab and you can’t hide how impressed you are. You don’t hide your eagerness to explore either. It’s like letting a kid roam around freely in a candy shop or toy store. 

Bruce doesn’t waste much more time. He quickly hands you an official lab coat with Stark Labs embroidered on it as well as your name. Then he shows you what you’ll be working on first. The two of you fall into a very comfortable rhythm for the next few hours. 

“Banner.” His name is called from the doorway and you look up from your station to see none other than Natasha Romanoff standing there. “We have a lead and we leave now. He’ll be needed.” 

He, as in the Hulk. You forgot that Bruce turned into the Hulk with how quiet he is. Bruce nods but sighs as he takes his white lab coat off and hangs it. Then he turns to you. 

“I’m off now but I sent instructions to your email for what to do next and Friday can also help you if needed. Friday, please introduce yourself.” 

“Hello, Dr. Y/L/N. My name is Friday and I am at your disposal.” 

“Hello Friday.” You say. “A.I?” You ask Bruce and he nods. 

“She has access to absolutely everything so you can ask her for anything. Of course if you don’t have clearance she won’t give you the information. Now about the mission. I may be gone the rest of the afternoon and evening so make sure you just head home at a reasonable hour. Friday will make sure to lock up the lab and help you set up your own codes to give you access. If I’m not back tomorrow just keep working on what you are now or work on one of your own projects.” He informs you. “I know it’s a lot but-“ 

“I’m your assistant, this is what I signed up for.” You reassure him and he nods. “Good luck on your mission.” 

He nods again and says a quick goodbye before leaving. You look around the empty lab and just take a moment to appreciate that you were actually at your dream job. It was incredible. After everything that you went through to finish school with no support and the previous jobs you had where you weren’t valued you finally got to where you wanted to be. You smiled to yourself and asked Friday if she could play music. She asked what you wanted to listen to and you gave her the name of your favorite artist. Music started playing through the room and you got back to work. 

For the next few days you followed the same schedule. You’d get to work at around 8:00 am, look at the instructions that Bruce had left for you on that first day and stopped when you felt like it was time to do so. Most nights you’d leave by 7:00 or 8:00 pm. It was easy to lose track of time when you were doing something you loved. 

Bruce was finally back a week later. There was a defeated and tired look on his face when he greeted you that morning. You weren’t good with comforting people so you weren’t sure if asking if he was ok was the right thing to do. He didn’t give you much of an opportunity because he just dove into work and explained that he would need your help with some kind of testing in about half an hour. 

Sure enough the half hour went by quickly. It was punctuated by the arrival of a little girl to the lab. She had stunning blue eyes and black hair that both framed her face beautifully and accentuated her rosy cheeks. Next to her was a boy with similar beautiful eyes and shoulder length black hair. You assume that they’re siblings. Behind them were four people. An older man, a young woman with red hair whom you thought was part of the Avengers, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark himself.

“Mowning Buce.” The little girl greeted as she bounded over to your boss. She smiled up at him while hugging a pink teddy bear. 

“Good morning Charlotte. How are you this morning?” 

“Am kay.” 

“That’s good.” 

The corners of your lips quirked up at the interaction. Kids were sweet, you liked kids more than you did adults. They never seem to have ulterior motives and were innocently but brutally honest most of the time.

You felt eyes on you as Charlotte continued to talk with Bruce. When you look over you see the boy with his brows furrowed, trying to decide if you’re a friend or foe. You give him a small smile and look back over to Bruce. This time you see Charlotte looking over at you. 

“Hi.” She says as she gets closer to you. “Is Buce new fwiend?” She points at you. 

“Yes?” You look up at Bruce for help and he just nods. “My name is Y/N.” 

“Y/N. Is cute.” She approves of your name and you smile. “Am Wottie an is bubba an gwandpa an Wanda an Tony an Steebie.” She points at everyone she mentioned. 

“Hello.” You give an awkward wave.

“Is Avenguh?” 

“Me an Avenger? No. I just work here in the lab.” 

“Can be fwiend?.” 

“Of course.” You nod and Charlotte smiles at you.

“Alright Charlotte are you ready?” 

“Am weady Buce.” She moves back toward Bruce and takes his hand. 

As everyone follows Bruce around you look in their direction only to find Steve Rogers looking your way now. He gives you a small grateful smile before walking away.

“Y/L/N, good to finally meet you in person.” Tony stands besides you. “Your work was really impressive, I’m sure you’ll fit right in.” 

“Thank you for the opportunity.” You say first as you go from looking at him to the small group at the end of the room. “She seems sweet. If you don’t mind me asking why is she here?” 

“Lottie can see the future. Her brother Henry can turn invisible. We run some tests just to make sure they’re hitting their regular growth milestones and that there are no underlying conditions we should worry about.” 

“Oh.” Now you were intrigued. 

“You’ll see her around here a lot. They live here, and their parents are on the team.” He gives you their names. “You seem to have the approval of our little social butterfly over there. She likes to roam around so don’t be surprised if she pops in for a visit.” Tony chuckles.

“What do you mean?” 

“Trust me when I say that you’d know if she didn’t like you.” 

You nod as you watch Bruce pick her up and set her down on an exam table. Tony excuses himself and joins the group. Moments later Bruce asks for your assistance. You’re mesmerized by the readings as it seems that Charlotte is having a vision. 

You definitely loved your job.

You had just walked back into your office from a small break when you heard it. Someone was in your lab. If it were Bruce or even Tony, you’d be ok with it. But someone else poking around your things annoyed you beyond belief. The doors that connected your office to the lab slid open as you went to see who it was. There was a man with his back to you. His shoulders shaked lightly and you could hear some sniffling. You took a step back with the intention of leaving him alone but he turned his head to look over his shoulder. The moment he heard you he looked in your direction and he composed himself. 

“I’m sorry. I thought this place was empty.” He says and turns around completely. 

Steve Rogers was standing in your lab, crying. He didn’t seem the type to cry at all but even less to do so in a semi public place. You stand there awkwardly as you think about what to tell him but he beats you to it. 

“I’m Steve. You must be Banner’s new assistant right?”

“Yeah, Y/N.”

“Sorry for this,” Steve looks sheepish at the fact that he had been caught by a stranger. “It’s been a couple of tough weeks. One of my best friends is missing. Her family is devastated.” 

“You must be too.”

Steve nods, his eyes suddenly glued to the floor. 

“I’m sorry. Is that what the missions are about? Dr. Banner has been pulled for a few of them.” 

Steve nods again. 

“I’m sure you’ll find her soon.” You murmur. 

“I hope so.” 

There was an awkward silence between the two of you. All you wanted to do was get back to your office. It was right behind you all you had to do was take one step back. It’s not like you were really good at comforting people. 

“Steebie.” You could hear Charlotte walking through the hallway. 

“I should go get her. It was nice to meet you.” 

The sliding door behind Steve opens and in walks the charming little girl you met a few weeks earlier. 

“There’s my best girl. C’mon.” Steve picks her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek. 

“Oh hi.” Charlotte says when she sees you. “Is new fwiend, Steebie.” 

“You’re just making friends all over the place, sweetheart. Can you say bye to Ms. Y/N.” 

“Bye bye Ms. Y/N.”

“Bye Charlotte.” 

Steve gives you a tight lipped smile and a small nod and starts to walk out. The little girl in his arms waves and smiles as the doors start to close. 

You walk back into your office and blow out a breath. In all honesty that interaction wouldn’t be the weirdest thing you’ll ever witness while being employed by Stark Industries. 

It would also be the first of many interactions that you would have with the blond haired, blue eyed super soldier.

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[mncxbe]

𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 // 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚

𝑻𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝒙 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

"You like me, babydoll" he'd often tease. And he was right.

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: smut/fluff

𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: season 4 spoilers / mentions of blood

His hips were rocking back and forth at a relentless speed, fingers digging into my thighs.

"Mmm so good baby. I missed this so much" he moaned lowly.

I was laying on my back, legs wrapped around Tachihara's waist, gazing at this pretty features. His eyes were shut tight, his mouth slightly agape as he was whispering sweet nonsense. Strands of his rusty red hair were drenched in sweat.

'That's quite a sight' I thought to myself.

We first met when I joined the Black Lizard as a division commander ten months ago. My arrival was met with reluctance, but after a few weeks everyone was fond of me. Well, almost everyone. Tachihara Michizō, the angry redhead, always kept his distance. This was mostly due to the fact that I got along quite well with Gin.

There was also my ability, which allows me to manipulate my enemy's heartbeat provided I touch their blood. Naturally, people tended to avoid training with me and Tachihara was no different. Gin sometimes sparred with me but her skills in battle were way above mine so she was in no real danger.

The first three months were packed with missions and operations. But as soon as summer started it seemed that even the criminals went on vacations. Weeks passed without one single mission. I was bored beyond belief. It was on one of these days that I ended up using my ability on Tachihara.

When I walked into the empty warehouse I saw the redhead cleaning his guns.

"Hey there. Wanna spar with me?" I enquired.

My colleague didn't bother to lift his eyes from his pistols as he replied in a flat voice.

"No. Leave me alone."

"I need to blow off some steam, Tachihara. Please." I whined

The man rose to his feet, drawing a knife from his jacket.

"Okay then. Bring it on" he said as he ran towards me.

I was so taken aback by his sudden actions that I barely managed to dodge his attack. Taking my own knife, I put some distance between us, trying to form a plan.

"What? That's all you got?" he mocked with a wild grin on his lips.

We fought for a couple of good minutes. At first Tachihara went easy on me, but when he realized I wasn't an easy match, his attacks got more violent. His eyes had a feral glimmer as he gritted his teeth, desperately swinging his knife.

Eventually, his attacks got sloppier and I managed to find an opening. The blade of my short knife sliced through the fabric of his jacket, cutting his arm right above his elbow.

The redhead ceased his chaotic movement, an astonished look on his face. Blood ran down his arm staining his clothes.

"Oh shit I'm so sorry." I apologized.

I dropped my knife to the floor, running to him. "That's a lot of blood please let me-"

"No no don't~" interrupted the man but it was too late. My hands wrapped around his bleeding arm, sqeezing tightly.

He froze, his eyes shooting open. A familiar feeling took over me as I felt his rushing heartbeat in every cell of my body. Tachihara yanked his arm from my grip, taking a few steps backwards. None of us uttered a word until the rhythm of his heart returned to normal.

"Aren't you going to kill me or something?" he asked

"Why would I kill you?"

"You literally have my heart in your hands. Don't tell me that you don't want some payback for how badly I treated you"

"I actually don't" I replied confidently "All I want right now is to help you stop the bleeding. Will you let me?"

After that we met up regularly to spar after stressful days. Soon though fighting wasn't enough to release the tention so we did other stuff too. I often found myself wrapped around him, nails digging and scratching at his back like there was no tomorrow as I moaned his name in the night.

"You like me, babydoll" he'd often tease.

And he was right. Before I knew it I had fallen in love with the redhead. And the feelings were shared. Although Tachihara seems like a cold, distant person, he is the sweetest partner one could ask for. He would always look out for me and even his short temper was quite adorable. Two months and a half after we started dating he moved in.

Nothing on earth could do us apart. We decided to overcome any hardship we ever came across. That's why when he confessed to me that he was working for the Hunting Dogs, I was totally unfazed.

"Poor choice but ok." I replied, taking his hand in mine. "I guess I'll just have to quit the Mafia."

And so I left the organization, switching over to voluntary work at the ER. My ability was quite useful when it came to helping patients with heart problems.

Up to this day we continue living together at my place, going about our days as usual.

I ran my fingers over the scar on his arm, fragments of the time spent together coming to me in flashes. His thrusts grew sloppier, signaling how close he was to his release, each of his grunts and low, desperate moans only adding to the fuel.

"I'm so close Hara" I uttered between whimpers. He brought one of his hands to my belly, pressing down with his palm.

"You feel how deep I am, pretty?" His thumb drew circles on my clit. "Cum for me, dear" he added in a ragged voice.

I felt the knot in my stomach snap, my back arching as I jolted in pleasure. Tachihara's eyelids gently fluttered as he felt me tighten around his cock. After a few more thrusts he came, his warm seed filling me.

The man rested his forehead against mine. He took his time to catch his breath and then opened his eyes, his amber gaze locked with mine.

I pulled him into a deep kiss and he snaked his arms around my waist. As soon as he pulled away from the kiss, he flopped to the side.

"I love you, baby" was all he uttered before drifting into a dreamless sleep.

I watched his figure, sprawled on my bed. My fingertips made their way to his back, tracing shapes all over his skin. Then I leaned in and kissed his shoulder.

"I love you too, Hara" I whispered into his ear before falling asleep next to him.

[livesworthlivingau]

Behind the Vale Chapter 18

ISAT/Two Hats Spoilers as always! CW: Homoerotic fight scene What? Who said that?

"Hmmmm…" [You ponder deeply, looking over the collection of daggers on display at the town's blacksmith.]

"What's up? None speaking to you?" [Nille chimes in, noticing the look on your face. Does having a mouth again really make us that easy to read?]

"No, they aren't… I'm not sure a dagger feels right anymore."

"Oh? Well what else would you get? I can't exactly see your scrawny butt using a big hammer." [She teased with a smirk. You rolled your eyes some.]

"Riiight, and who destroyed that sadness standing over you when we first met~?"

"I had that under control! I was just making it think it had me!" [You both laugh, even she couldn't pretend that was true.]

"But to answer your question, I'm not quite sure, something agile still but…"

"How about a rapier?"

"NO! No no no! The Housemaiden uses one of those."

"… And?"

"… Just… I'd rather not… Have that constant reminder." [She rolls her eyes but drops it. It seemed the only thing preventing another talk was the fact you were in public.]

"Okay, uhhh... Oh! What about one of those?" [She asked, spotting a rack with several whips hanging off of them.]

"Oh… Oh yes, that actually sounds nice~." [You say as you walk over to it, glancing about at them all hanging, finding a lovely looking one with lightless and darkless diamond patterning across its whole length.]

"I think this will do perfectly~."

---------------------------------------------------

[The sound of 3 booming CRACKs sound out in a row as you try to snap your new whip across the practice targets setup. You manage to split the first in half, but your swings go wide on the follow ups, missing the other two.]

"Hey! Not bad! You're a natural at this!"

"Not bad?! I only hit one blinding target!"

"... Vale, have you ever used a whip before?"

"Not that I can recall, no."

"Uh huh, and you just expected to be great at it first thing?"

"I mean, I used paper craft pretty well first thing~."

"Well yeah, that was instincts. If you're a paper type now, that's gonna come a lot more naturally. Stress of combat and all, you don't think you just act."

"Hmmm... You make a good point... Maybe there's some more sadness nearby we could try and track down?"

"You wanna go hunting sadness' now?!"

"Well how else am I going to get better at this?" [Nille smacks her own face gently in a facepalm before sighing out.]

"Alright, alright, if you're set on this..." [She begins, placing a hand on your shoulder.]

"Now think fast!" [She shouts before using her other arm to scoop under your leg, suddenly lifting you over her head and tossing you over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.]

"WH-HEY?!" [You cry out, tumbling across the grass and sliding to a stop. You look up at Nille, her hammer now out, playful grin on her face.]

"If you're so set on a fight, I'll give you one pretty Vay~!"

"N-Nille?! Y-You can't just toss me like that!!"

"Actually I can, pretty easily in fact!" [She beams with a bright laugh, your face burns in a fluster as you grumble, readying your new whip, holding your other hand in a paper sign.]

"F-Fine! But you asked for it!"

"Don't hold back for me now Vale, I won't for you!" [She remarked with a wink, then suddenly rushing towards you.]

[You step back in surprise, not expecting her to actually approach with such intent. She raises her hammer, preparing to swing. You finally snap out of it and bring your hand forward, summoning a shield like before. Nille's hammer swings right through it, dampening the blow but still sending it slamming into your side, knocking you over and tumbling a bit again.]

"Ack! H-Hey!!"

"Oh come on, you're paper type now, you barely felt that!"

"Y-Yes but STILL!!" [You shout, more so protesting about getting tossed around than anything else. She pays no mind to your pleas as she begins to rush at you again. You wonder how she's so blinding fast with that massive hammer.]

"Gonna have to go on the offensive soon~!" [She taunts at you. Alright, we can figure this out, there's got to be some way we can slow her down somehow... Wait, didn't Odile have a craft like that? Yes! We've seen it countless times! You take a breath for a moment, trying to replicate the ritual she performed when using it, sending a lethargic wave towards Nille to help weigh her down some.]

"Oooh, got some other tricks up your sleeve?" [She calls in surprise, though it doesn't seem to affect her as much as Odile's ability did. It would have to do for now, taking a defensive stance and flourishing your new whip. She swings high as you duck below, swapping her momentum to slam down before you barely manage to jump back out of the way.]

"C'mon! Go on the offensive Valey!" [She encourages, you snap your whip forward, coiling it around the neck of her hammer. With a heavy tug and pulling paper gesture, you manage to yank it free from her grip, tossing it upwards and spinning off behind you as you watch it fly overhead.]

"Hah! What are you gonna do no-ACK!!" [You begin to tease, turning back to Nille who was suddenly moments away, tackling into you and sending you both sliding across the ground, skidding to a stop. You stare up at her in stunned silence. She chuckles some, seeing your face.]

"HAHA! Here's a tip, Vay. Never let your guard down." [She teased... then perked up some, noticing your face with her own darkening, quickly getting up off of you... Our face feels hot. Are we blushing?...]

"Heh, uhh... Sorry about that, got a little carried away there." [She mumbled some, holding out a hand to help you up, taking it and easily getting lifted off the ground.]

"But good hustle! Seems like you got a few new moves to work with!" [Her face is still dark, she's trying to change the subject, you recognize this tactic... Why is our face burning?! You try to shake the sensation away.]

"R-Right~! Guess we won't have to worry much next time a sadness comes around~!" [You remark, desperately trying to slip the mask back on. You both stand in awkward silence for a moment.]

"... W-We should probably get back to the Inn."

"O-Oh yes! I'll uhh... meet you there, I wanted to stop by the local tailor first~."

"Oooof course you do."

Get ready for some new official outfit designs next Vale chapter~

[bridgerton-bard]

Initial Thoughts on Philoise & To Sir Phillip, With Love

My initial thoughts on Philoise as a couple after listening to the audiobook. Spoilers for To Sir Phillip, With Love and all previous Bridgerton books below the fold.

I'll just start out with what I think is going to be the biggest hot take I have about Philoise, which is that I don't understand why Eloise and Phillip's love story gets as much hate as it does. I acknowledge that Phillip is not perfect, but Anthony, Benedict, Colin, and Simon aren't anywhere near perfect either.

I thought it was refreshing that Philoise's story explores a different narrative arc than all of the previous Bridgerton stories. In each of the previous books, the formula is generally Capital-R-Rake falls for Damsel-in-Distress, and his love for her (and the agency he is able to provide her as a woman married to a wealthy, powerful man) solves her problem. Yes, Colin and Kate's characters deviate from this trope slightly, but generally the arc is the same. None of the male protagonists in any of the previous 4 books had much serious interest in marrying until they met their future wife.

I thought it was interesting for Philoise's story to explore the opposite trope with Phillip in search of a wife and Eloise who had always imagined staying single. Phillip is a man who is as far from the definition of rake as possible. Eloise is a woman who is very adept at solving her own problems even within the gender dynamics of the time. I thought it was refreshing that at the beginning of the book, Phillip is already seriously looking for a wife. Of course, just like Anthony early in TVWLM, Phillip is initially looking for a marriage of convenience. However, just like Anthony's story, we see Phillip realize he has the option to have much more than a marriage of convenience.

I saw some spoilers here before I read the book and they insinuated that Phillip manipulated/duped Eloise into becoming his wife in some way . . . and that's just . . . not the case? Their wedding was rushed due to Eloise and Phillip living together unchaperoned for a week, but that wasn't Phillip's manipulation. Eloise showed up unannounced even though she knew that she should send word ahead. Phillip offered to get a chaperone if she let him know ahead of time. Also, they discussed having his aunt join them just before the Bridgerton boyband showed up, suggesting that Eloise was already pretty serious about staying and marrying Phillip. Additionally, Anthony did give Eloise the opportunity to give a good reason as to why she shouldn't marry Phillip. Knowing Anthony, if she had said that he'd acted in a way considered unmarriageable, he would have found a way to prevent Eloise from marrying Phillip.

Another underlying implication of the spoilers I saw was that Phillip was only looking for someone to basically be a governess when he started sending letters to Eloise, but I think that's a broad generalization for two reasons. First, Phillip was still grieving Marina when he started writing Eloise with the intention of considering her for marriage. I think it's one of the strongest aspects of Phillip's character that he had so much empathy and care for Marina, even though the book canon shows very clearly that she had only negative feelings for him. He lived with her for eight years as she hated him and mourned that she was married to Phillip and not his brother. Yet, he felt entirely responsible for the fact that he couldn't make Marina happy enough, at least not to kill herself.

The second reason I think this is a broad generalization, is that it's clear through Phillip's point of view in the books that although he initially considered Eloise for a marriage of convenience, he came to have a fondness for her before he knew how beautiful she was. In one of the early chapters, Phillip is shown feeling put on the spot because Eloise is so witty and usually he had time to think of the best responses to her witticisms as he was drafting his letter. Now, he wants to come off as quick and witty as he did via letter, but he's not sure he's meeting that standard. If Phillip was just looking for a marriage of convenience, he never would have put that much effort into the letters or felt so put on the spot when he met Eloise in person.

This is just my $0.02 on Philoise. If anyone out there wants to send me their thoughts as to why they don't like Philoise, I'd be interested to hear. My reblogs (and ask box) are open.